Hate's Just A Word
by Sakura-san
Summary: Mysteriously over the summer, Draco and Harry have become friends. Draco's new enemy is Lindsay Caldwell, mean, rude, pureblood, and a good guy? An incident in potions class brings the unlikely two together...They hate to love and love to hate.
1. One: Friends and Enemies

A/n: Hey, everyone. This is the first fic I've decided to post. 

Summary: Mysteriously over the summer, Draco and Harry have become friends. Who's to fill the void of Draco's enemy? Who better than a witch that no one even noticed was there… DracoOC

Rating: T for langauge

Note: It starts out kind of in the POV of Ron in order to introduce the story. As of 7-16-05, this is A/U!

Hate's just a word 

Chapter ONE: Friends and Enemies

Ron stared from afar as the two boys talked. Changes had been made while he was away. Changes that he hadn't been apart of. Although, he wished he was. He felt betrayed, but didn't know what to do. There was nothing he could do, but accept the facts. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were...friends. Nothing could come from this except for chaos.

Ron felt betrayed. There were now three of them boys. Harry, Ron, and Draco. Harry liked Ron and Draco. Ron liked Harry. Draco liked Harry. And...Ron, well Ron, loathed Draco. It wasn't exactly a great fit. Not like Harry wanted it to be. While Draco had to refrain from insulting Ron while they were around each other, he was still the same Malfoy. And Ron still hated him.

Hermione came behind Ron and followed his gaze to Harry and Malfoy.

"Oh," She said, quietly. Hermione wasn't too happy with the change either. But unlike Ron, she tried her hardest to deal with it. At least, Malfoy wasn't calling her mudblood anymore. That was a plus. The Slytherins had no problem for Malfoy was their king and did anything he wanted to. They worshipped him and anything he did was all right.

"It's kind of hard to believe..." Hermione observed.

"Kind of?" Ron asked, sharply. Hermione ignored him and went on.

"Last year Malfoy was threatening to kill him for putting his father in jail. And now they're best buds."

"Do you think he could be under the Imperious Curse?" Ron asked, suddenly. Hermione sighed.

"Honestly, Ron. Right in front of Dumbledore's eyes? I'm sure Harry would have resisted it. It can't be that strong if it's coming from Malfoy," Hermione pointed out. Ron shrugged. He would believe anything except for Harry befriended Malfoy with his own free will. He would believe anything BUT that. It was impossible. Except it was happening in front of his own eyes.

Harry noticed Ron's stare and looked over. Ron quickly turned away and pretended to start a conversation with Hermione. He sighed.

"I know you feel betrayed Ron..."

"Yeah, I do feel betrayed," Ron said, interrupting Hermione. "But you don't understand. Are you obsessed with his looks too Hermione? Decided to join his fan club, eh? You wouldn't understand unless you were a guy and happened to be named Ron."

"Ron..." Hermione said. Ron walked off and back to the Gryffindor Tower. School had started just yesterday. And then he found out. School would be different from now on. Everything would. He approached the Fat Lady portrait.

"Bobertism," Ron said. The portrait swung open and he walked into the common room. Everyone was in the Great Hall enjoying dinner except for a few, who were sitting in the common room. Dean Thomas was busy fixing something by the fire. And there was a girl who was reading a book. Ron needed to get his mind off his problem. And only one thing could do that. Wizard's Chess. Ron set it up on a table and sat down.

"Anybody interested in playing Wizard's Chess?" Ron asked aloud to those few people who were in the common room at the time.

"I will," said the girl reading the book. She put her book aside and walked over to Ron. She sat down across from him. It was Lindsay Caldwell. She was the same age as Ron and in his year. She arrived 2nd year. She didn't really have friends. She was quiet, and when she spoke it was either to answer a question or some sarcastic remark.

"Okay," Ron agreed. "You can go first."

Lindsay nodded and ordered her pawn forward. And so they got into a deep chess game.

"Why aren't you at dinner?" Ron asked her, trying to start a conversation.

"I don't know," She replied with a shrug. "Not really hungry, I suppose. You?"

"Just avoiding people..." Ron replied. Lindsay nodded.

"Excuse me for knowing, but...you mean...Harry and Malfoy, right?" She said. Ron stared at her. _How did she know?_

"Er..."

"Being quiet and unnoticeable let's you hear a lot of certain things," She explained. "It's a big thing anyway. Quite noticeable. They used to be worst enemies. I wonder how this happened."

"So do I..." Ron muttered. Ron looked up at Lindsay. "Are you in his fan club, too? Malfoy's, I mean. Are you?"

"Personally, I'd rather die," Lindsay said, moving another piece. "Sure, he's changed appearance-wise. Everyone's noticed that, unfortunately. Now all the girl's are obsessed with him. I wish they would shut up, already. He has a foul personality."

"Exactly," Ron said. "What is Harry doing with someone like that?"

"Who knows. I would think he would be too busy since Lord Vol—you-know-who is on the loose..."

"If you only knew the whole thing..." Ron said. "Checkmate."

"What! Checkmate?" She asked. She stared down at the chessboard. "Ugh! Fine, you win this time, but not next time. I'll get my revenge. We'll have a rematch..."

"I'll still win," Ron said, smiling victoriously

"We'll see about that, Weasley," Lindsay muttered. She stood. "Nice playing you, Ron. I'm looking forward to talking to you again."

"Why stop now?" He asked. "It's not like I'm busy with Harry or Hermione. Harry's probably busy with Malfoy and Hermione's busy trying to support Harry being busy."

Lindsay sat back down. "True."

The two sat there for a while and started talking once again. Soon after, the Gryffindors started flooding the common room from dinner. The chatter grew louder and the common room became full.

"Hey, Ron," Harry called out to him. He sighed. Harry and Hermione approached the table.

"Hi, Harry," Ron said, casually. "Hi, Hermione."

"Ron, I understand that you're upset. But please, don't be mad at me," Harry said.

"Wow, right to the point," Lindsay observed, quietly.

"Oh, hey Lins," Harry said. "Didn't realize you were there. How are you?"

"Fine," She replied. She stood up. "I'll leave now."

"No, you're the only girl not a member of the DMOC," Ron protested. Hermione glared at him.

"Ron, I'll have you know I'm not infatuated with Malfoy," She said, glaring.

"Yeah, not yet," Ron said. "But who knows how long that will last."

"Ahem," Harry cleared his throat loudly. "Anyway, I'm sorry you're feeling left out, Ron. I'd like to change that---"

"If you want me to become friends with Malfoy, then fat chance, Harry," Ron said, bitterly.

"Malfoy?" chimed up Parvati. Lavender 'oohed' at the sound of his name. The two girl wandered over to the small group.

"Did someone say Malfoy? As in Draco Malfoy?" Parvati asked.

"Unfortunately," Ron muttered, quietly.

"Oooh!" Parvati and Lavender squealed with delight.

"Obviously, part of the DMOC," Lindsay said, sighing. "Draco Malfoy Obsession Club."

"Oh, Harry. I hear you are friends with him now," Lavender said. "Does he have a girlfriend?"

"No, I saw him first, Lavender," Parvati said. "Ask him for me."

"Can we NOT discuss, Malfoy?" Ron asked, bitterly. Hermione distracted the two girls while Harry, Ron, and Lindsay slipped away.

"He's not so bad once you get to know him, " Harry told Ron. Lindsay watched with interest. "You should at least try."

"Yeah, and he's making a huge effort to try to talk to me," Ron said, sarcastically. "I'm tired. I'm off to bed. We'll talk tomorrow."

Ron headed upstairs to the boy dormitories. Harry sighed. He looked at Lindsay.

"Are you really not part of the DMOC?" He asked, curiously. Lindsay nodded.

"It's true. I know, surprising," She said. Harry nodded. He looked down at the floor. "Want me to talk to him for you?"

Harry looked up once more. "Will you?"

"Sure," Lindsay nodded.

"Thanks," Harry said, with a little bit of happiness. "I best be saving Hermione now. I'll see you later, Lins."


	2. Two: The Truth between Enemies

Hate's just a word 

Chapter TWO: The Truth between Enemies

"Where's Harry?" Lindsay asked Ron, the next day.

"He's with Hermione. But who knows how long it will be before he's with you-know-who," Ron replied with a sigh. Lindsay looked at him and felt some sympathy and pity. He was in a tough situation. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," She said. "I'll walk you to class."

"Thanks," Ron smiled at her weakly. The two headed out to Potions. Today was just not Ron's day. Tough situations and Potions with Snape. Nothing could be worse than that... Until they ran into Malfoy. They saw him walking in their direction.

"Oh, great," Ron muttered.

"Why look here. It's Wea--Ron...and Lindsay," He said, resisting of being evil. "How are you two today?"

"If I'm not mistaken, _Malfoy_," Lindsay said, trying to keep Ron from doing anything. "Potions is the other way."

"I know that," Malfoy muttered bitterly. Lindsay kept her eyes from looking directly at Malfoy. She couldn't look at him directly. She was afraid of being enchanted by his good looks. "I came here to greet you, Wea--Ron."

"What do you want?" Ron snapped.

"I'm trying to make peace, but obviously...Should have expected this from a Weasely," Malfoy mumbled. Ron glared and prepared to leap at him.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Lindsay said. "Why don't you go and fuck some member of your little fan club. You were always jealous of Harry and his. Now you have your own, so go on and leave Ron alone."

"Need your little girlfriend to defend you," Malfoy sneered. Lindsay glared and pushed Ron out of the way.

"I'm not defending him," She declared, angrily. "Now, sod off."

"He can't do that," Ron added. "None of his sluts are around. Where's Pansy when you need her?"

"No, Ron! It's Millicent, this week," Lindsay corrected, clearly getting on Malfoy's nerves.

"And I would have liked it to be you," Malfoy said, hiding his anger. Lindsay grabbed her wand and pointed it at Malfoy. Ron did nothing to stop this. In fact, he's been waiting for something like this to happen for a long time.

"Go ahead," Malfoy said, to his amusement. "Curse me. I know you won't. You're obsessed with my looks just as much as everyone else is. You wouldn't dare mess them up."

"Oh, wouldn't I?" She asked, coldly. "FYI, _Draco,_ I'm not a member of the DMOC."

"Weasely, Caldwell, and Malfoy!" A voice from behind them called out. "Into my class, now!"

It happened to be their great friend and favorite professor, Snape. The three stopped what they were doing and reluctantly proceeded into his classroom.

"These three think they are too good to come to class on time." Snape informed the class. The three hurried to their seats, a bit embarrassed. "Next time you wish to be late and disrupt my class, please do it quietly. No one wishes to hear about the DMOC."

A few kids snickered.

"Ten points from Gryffindor." He said. "Anyway, on with the lesson. We will be making small version of the Verita Serums. Otherwise known as truth potions. I will pair you up into twos. You will make the potions separately than try each other's potions. You are only limited to ask one question. Be careful what you ask. Please, nothing offensive."

"I bet the best buddies are wanting to be paired together..." Lindsay whispered to Ron. "Harry and Draco, how wonderful."

"First, Potter and Bulstrode."

There were snickers.

"Next, Granger and Goyle. Crabbe and Longbottom. Weasely and Zabini."

"Wow, professor," Draco said , aloud. "All the secret crushes are paired together. Too bad I'm not with my true love, Weasely."

Ron avada-kedavra glared at Draco.

"Seems so," Snape said. "Malfoy and Caldwell."

Lindsay stopped breathing. Her worst fear had come true. While every other girl envied her, she wanted to die. There were no cliffs around to commit suicide. She resisted from pointing her wand at herself and Avada-Kedavraing herself. She didn't want to be Malfoy. It should have been anyone BUT Malfoy.

"Score," Malfoy said, happily. Lindsay glared. "Come over here, dear. I've got a question to be asking you."

"Dammitdammit," Lindsay cursed to herself. Everyone stared. The rest of the pairings were called off and people went to join up with their partners.

"I hate you," Lindsay said as soon as she could.

"Sticks and stones, love," He replied happily. He threw his arm around her neck. "How lucky we are today. I'm with my slut."

"Sod off," She muttered angrily. She kept her temper only not lose points from Gryffindor. The two started to make their potions, as separate as possible. He would often whisper sweet-nothings to her to throw her off or to annoy him. But they each stayed focused. They were determined to find out something about the other. The end of class was nearing and most potions were complete.

After Snape was through humiliating Neville, he made an announcement.

"Now that all potions are complete, right or not," He looked at Neville. "We can began. Everyone take their partner's drought and drink it. Ask one question of the other one."

Draco shoved his drought at her and snatched hers. He drank it. Lindsay reluctantly drank hers.

"Me first, my love," Draco said, happily. Lindsay took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for the horrors. "Hmm...Do you find me incredibly sexilious and attractive?"

Lindsay tried to resist it. But she had to answer truthfully.

"Yes," She answered what seemed to be calm. But after that was up, she almost blew up.

"I thought so."

"Shut up," Lindsay snapped. "Now it's my turn..." She pondered on what to ask. She was originally going to ask 'What are you using Potter for?' but something different came out. "Are you a virgin?"

Lindsay hit herself. That was a stupid question. The answer was obvious. Draco stared, but had to answer. "Yes."

Lindsay stared and stopped hitting herself. Malfoy look horrified beyond all belief. She smiled. She had won this round.

"Please don't tell anyone," He pleaded, almost silently.

"Why shouldn't I?" She asked. He glared.

"Guess I'll have to make you a member of fan club," He said. "You know, spread the word."

"Fine!" She muttered. "I won't tell anyone as long as you don't."

"Glad, we have an agreement," Draco said, happily. Lindsay glared at him. No one could understand how much she despised him at this moment. He frowned.

"You're not a mudblood, are you?" He asked. She stared.

"No, I'm not."

"Good," He said, with relief. Lindsay glared.

"What do you care?" She asked, bitterly. He smiled.

"I should know whether my slut is a mudblood or not," He said, happily. Lindsay slapped him. And somehow, Snape randomly appeared.

"I saw that, Miss Caldwell. 5 points from Gryffindor." Professor Snape said. Lindsay glared at Draco once more. When the class was over, she waited for Ron and the two hurried out assuming Harry would stop to chat with Draco.

"I hate him. I. hate. Him," Lindsay muttered to herself, angrily.

"I pity you," Ron said. "You had to work with Malfoy. What did he ask you?"

"I wish to speak not of it," Lindsay mumbled.

"I bet you got revenge, though," Ron said. Lindsay nodded.

"That I did," She replied. She snickered. "But anyway, no more talk of that...thing. I hate him."

"Sounds good. Nice slap, by the way."

"Thanks."

The two walked onto their next class. Care of Magical Creatures...which also happen to contain Malfoy. Today was a bad day for the two of them. Malfoy still gave Hagrid a hard time, which was no surprise. Harry was determined to make him tone it down a bit. Lindsay spent a good time of class laughing as Harry tried to stop Malfoy.

"Alright now, if der's no objections..." Hagrid gave Malfoy a look, "I'd like ter move on. Fer this, I need two volunteers. Anyone?"

No one raised their hands. Lindsay looked around. No one at all. She figured that Malfoy would never volunteer. In that case, she would. She raised her hand.

"Ah, finally. A volunteer. Come up here, Lindsay," Hagrid said with relief. Lindsay smiled and went up happily. No one else would dare volunteer. They all valued their lives. Not even Harry. "Anyone else?"

No one. "Er...come on now. Yer not goin' to be in any danger. And you can join the lovely Lindsay up 'ere." Now that was said. Harry and Ron _couldn't_ raise their hands if they wanted to be seen as not in love with Lindsay. But on the other hand, that opened up a passage for someone else. Malfoy's hand shot up. Lindsay practically died. Hagrid hesitated but no one else was willing.

"Er..alright then...Mr. Malfoy, if yer sure."

Malfoy smirked and joined Lindsay at the front of the class. "Man, I keep running into you today, dear."

She ignored him and just glared at him. She shot a glare at all the Gryffindor's who abandoned her. And she couldn't believe Hagrid had let this go on. The world was against her today.

"Let's get on with this..." Lindsay muttered. Hagrid nodded.

"Alrighty. Today, we'll be 'andling with phoenixes," Hagrid said. Harry suddenly regretted not volunteering. He had some nice experiences with Fawkes and could have been a real help to Hagrid.

"Be careful, Malfoy," Lindsay sneered. "Don't make it angry or it might bite your arm. Who knows what will happen."

The class laughed a bit and Malfoy remained calm. A few minutes later, Hagrid came back with Fawkes, the phoenix. Harry knew Fawkes already. It gave Harry a look and Harry nodded back.

"This is Fawkes," Hagrid showed the class. "Dumbledore 'as kindly lent me his phoenix. Nice ferllow, he is. Phoenixes can carry immensely heavy loads and their tears are healing powers. They die and are reborn from their ashes. Now, one of ye 'ere will hold Fawkes."

"I'll hold Fawkes," Lindsay volunteered. "Don't want Malfoy getting hurt, do we?"

Malfoy was trying to be patient. "Maybe if you were paying attention, you would know that the tears of a phoenix have healing powers. If I were to get hurt, I could get healed."

"Are you sure you wouldn't over exaggerate it to get extra attention? As if it isn't enough already."

"Alright, ye two. Stop that right now," Hagrid said. He carefully handed Fawkes to Lindsay. She happily held him. Fawkes was a beautiful creature. Many of the girls(especially Lavender and Parvati) were intrigued by this beautiful beast.

"Hagrid, did you not mention that it can carry heavy loads?" Lindsay asked with a sinister plan in mind.

"Yea', I did," He replied nodding.

"I'd like to see. It's not like he can carry a human or anything, right?" Lindsay asked, innocently.

"Actually, Fawkes can carry lotsa humans," Hagrid said.

"No way," Lindsay said trying to hide her sarcasm.

"Yeh," Hagrid nodded. "Mr. Malfoy will demonstrate it ter us."

"I will?" Malfoy asked.

"That is, unless he's too afraid. I understand," Lindsay said.

"I'm not afraid. Give me the bird," Malfoy snapped.

"Alright, Fawkes. You're going to lift this boy up a foot or so off the ground," Lindsay explained to Fawkes. "Don't go any higher." She winked at Fawkes and nodded. Fawkes flew from Lindsay and over Malfoy. Malfoy offered his arm, and in just moments he was a foot off the ground.

"See, I'm not afraid."

"Amazing," Lindsay said. "Lift him higher, Fawkes. I don't think you can."

Fawkes, wanting to prove himself, started to lift Malfoy.

"Woahh.. What the fuck are you doing!" Malfoy yelled out. The Slytherins all gasped and Pansy nearly fainted. The Gryffindors could no longer keep a straight face. They all burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. Harry couldn't even keep a straight face. Hagrid hesitated before going to Malfoy's aid.

"Fawkes, git back down 'ere," Hagrid yelled out. Lindsay laughed as Fawkes refused to listen.

"LET ME DOWN CALDWELL OR I'LL TELL WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT---"

Lindsay frowned and glared. With a pout, she ordered Fawkes to put him down. Fawkes listened, proud to have proven himself. Draco glared at Lindsay, but quickly rid himself of expression. He pretended that he didn't care. Of course, all the Gryffindors were in a hysterical uproar of laughs. Ron was on the floor, grabbing his side. Hermione hid her face in her books as she laughed. Parvati and Lavender were giggling insanely. Seamus was having a fit and starting rolling on the ground. Dean and Neville were bent over laughing, their heads off. Harry was biting his lip to keep himself from laughing and looked at the floor. Lindsay grinned happily.

"Lindsay, dear," Draco said, simply. "You won't be getting any tonight for that trick."

Lindsay glared. "It was all out of love, naturally," She finally gave in. "That is how we lovers treat each other. With hate."

"Yes, it's quite exciting," Draco said smiling. "Makes for eventful sex."

Lindsay threw her wand down and tackled Draco. All of the Gryffindors(minus-Harry and Hermione) were cheering for Lindsay as she punched him. The Slytherins jeered in horror as their leader was being punched. Hagrid had to tear the two apart.

"Malfoy-go to the hospital wing now," Hagrid demanded. "She have you a pretty nasty black eye. Harry go wit 'im."

"See you tonight my love," Malfoy called out to her unfazed. Hagrid had to hold her back from grabbing her wand and using the killing curse.

"Much as I liked that, gonna 'ave ta give ye detention."

"It's all worth it, Hagrid."

It was the start of their wonderful relationship. The two were like the new Harry and Draco rivalry. Except Lindsay had replaced Harry. Every chance she got, she tried to attack him, with or without her wand. Draco provoked her every chance he got. She got a dozen detentions a week, and he got a good laugh. He had managed to convince everyone (even some of the professors) that he and Lindsay were lovers.

They went on as enemies for a while. A long while. Ron had absolutely no problem with this aspect of his new friend. Harry wouldn't have ever jumped Malfoy on a daily basis. Draco spent most of his time in the hospital wing making himself look spiffy. He wouldn't dare leave any scars, marks, or cuts of his precious face. Although, he did suffer through a lot of pain. It would have remained this way too...if it weren't for a certain potions class.


	3. Three: The Potions Project

A/n: Thanks reviewers. Here's another chapter. I've been trying to improve my writing. '

Hate's just a word 

Chapter THREE: The Potions' Project

Snape sat in his class, wondering whom to torture next. The children were fixing their potions up. He had a nice big potions project planned and was wondering who to pair together. It had to mean as much torture for the Gryffindors as possible. Potter and Malfoy was his first thought. But no, they were friends now. Damn that potter. Weasley and Malfoy. No, there was something holding him back from making that pairing. In the end, he decided---

"Caldwell and...Malfoy."

Lindsay's jaw dropped from shock. "WHAT?"

She actually had enough nerve to shout at Snape. He was astounded.

"I mean, come on. You paired us up the other time. Why not give Malfoy a break? Pair him up with Potter?"

"And I suppose you'd want to go with Weasely?"

"I don't care who I'm with...as long as it's not him."

"You WILL do what I say you will do. That is final. 10 points from Gryffindor for questioning my decisions."

Lindsay sighed. She would be stuck once again with Malfoy on a potions project, and if she wanted to pass. She would have to cooperate with him... She glanced over at him, who was looking very satisfied. He'd have another person to torture.

Snape was just pure evil. Lindsay ever regretted thinking he was decent. He was evil! Draco sent her another 'love' note. She opened it, reluctantly.

_Isn't this lucky, my love? We're paired together again. Thank god, it wasn't that mudblood or that Weasel. I'm glad it was you. Now we can stay up all night doing it the dirty way. Want to get an A, don't we?_

_ With love,_

_ Draco _

Lindsay tore up the note and started to write her own.

_To Malfoy._

_ Lucky is not the word. Unfortunate doesn't even describe it. You're a stupid loser. Don't you have better things to do like organize your junior death eaters meeting or try to learn some dark arts? Plus, I thought you were a virgin. Waiting until marriage, are we? How sweet. _

_ Fuck off,_

_ Lindsay._

She sent it over. Draco read it and glared at her. He remembered glaring only satisfied her. He needed to smile. He forced a smile on his face although it was certainly not what he was feeling. He had urges to get revenge. But this project was the perfect chance. Vengeance was sweet. With this project, he would have an excuse to annoy her everyday, and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it, or she would get a bad grade. He knew for a fact, that she was smart and always got top marks. She didn't really like Granger, because she could never beat her. At least they had one thing in common. But this was a good opportunity and Draco was going to take advantage of it, totally and completely.

Snape gave them their assignment. A 5-roll essay and a sample of the potion they were researching if possible. If not, then most of the ingredients available. Snape began to 'teach' and he left the project to be done after classes. That meant that Lindsay would have to actually talk to Draco outside of class. She wasn't looking forward to that. This was going to be hell. She secretly cursed Snape the whole class. And then class ended. She met up with Ron at the door, all teary-eyed.

"I don't want to work with him…" She said, quietly.

"Nobody does," Ron said. "I understand, but don't let him see you like this…It'll just satisfy him more. That bastard…"

Lindsay nodded and quickly wiped her eyes. Must not cry. Draco walked by and looked back at both Ron and Linds.

"How about the library tonight?" He said, to Lins. "About seven?"

"Fuck off, Malfoy," Ron yelled.

"Well, I don't know about you Weasley, but I've got to get my project done. Right partner?" His voice was just taunting enough that you could tell.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" She asked. She put her books on top of Ron's books and advanced closer to Malfoy.

"Yeah," He admitted, with a smirk. The other kids coming out of potions noticed the possible showdown and decided to watch.

"I've got two words for you," She said to him.

"Yeah, and what would those be?"

"Fuck you," She said. She jumped on him, making him go to the floor with a big thud. She started to punch him. Some kids cheered, others jeered. Draco got angry and grabbed her fists. Her face was directly above his. There was only one thing Draco could do. He leaned up and kissed her. She was totally taken by surprise. She rose up, pulling away. No one else had seen it. She took out her wand and threw it at Ron. She was going to Avada-kedavra him. Draco smirked, quite satisfied with her expression. She put her arms around his neck and proceeded to choke him. His eyes widened as he struggled with her.

Just moments later, Harry and Seamus had to pull her off. Draco grabbed his neck and remembered the beauty of breathing.

"You tried to kill me!" Draco yelled, as he pointed at her. She nodded and made Harry and Seamus release her. She took her books from Ron and started to walk away.

"Wait, your wand!" Ron said, following after her. She was walking pretty fast, but Ron reached her. "Lins."

She paused for a second. She looked at Ron. Her eyes were full of tears, but she looked so angry. Her breathing was heavy and her face was red.

"He's a fucking bastard," Ron said, realizing how much he really did affect her. "Let's go."

They walked back to the Gryffindor common room. It was pretty empty. Ron sat her down in a chair. He put her books aside, and handed her wand. She wiped her eyes, and took deep breaths.

"Thanks," She said to him. She looked at her wand. "I would have tried to Avada-Kedavra him."

"I wouldn't blame you," Ron said. "He's a fucking git. He doesn't deserve to live."

"Yet, he's Harry's new best friend… It doesn't make sense," Lins said.

"I know it!" Ron said. "I don't know what Harry sees in that git."

"I'll find out," Lins said. Ron gave her a strange look. "Well, I do have to work with him. I'll find out what he's up to…"

Ron continued to stare.

"I might as well make use of the time I have with him, right?" Lins said.

"I guess you're right," Ron said.

"Plus, I learn a thing or two about patience. And maybe I'll bash his face in. You never know," She said, grinning. Ron grinned back.

"I hope so," Ron said, laughing. Lins laughed as well.

At seven o clock, she originally had detention, but she explained to Hagrid and McGonagall about the project and they let her use her time to do that. At seven o clock, she walked into the library and looked around for Malfoy. He was actually there, sitting at a table. With much reluctance, she walked over to him. She was determined to keep her patience, but she was still angry at him. That kiss… Why did he do it? Did he do it to annoy her, because it worked well. But, she couldn't get the feeling out her head. The taste of his warm, tender lips. She spent the day thinking about how much she hated it and how much she didn't hate it. Why did he have to be so attractive?

"Alright, I'm here," Lins said, standing there with one hand on her hip. Draco turned around.

"I'm surprised you showed," He said. She made a face.

"Whatever. Let's get this done," She said. "What potion are we doing?"

"The Polyjuice Potion," Malfoy said. Lins made a groaning noise.

"Wonderful," She muttered sarcastically. "All information about that one is probably in the forbidden section."

"Which is why I got a note from Snape granting us special permission…" Draco said, with a smirk. Lins gave him a fake smile. Draco was enjoying this. They got their books and sat down at the table, opposite from each other and started to do some reading. They were silent for a while.

"You're still thinking about earlier, aren't you?" Draco asked, suddenly. Lins looked at him, with narrowed eyes.

"Of course," She said. "I'm wondering why I didn't bash your skull in."

Draco made a face. "Heh, funny," He muttered sarcastically. "I meant the—"

"I mean," She said, loudly, cutting him off, obviously aware of what he was going to say. "Why didn't I do it? You deserve it. You're a stupid git."

Draco frowned. "Fine, you can call me a git, but I'm a sexy one, aren't I?" He asked with a smirk. Lins rolled her eyes. He'd never let that one go.

"Yes, you're a sexy virgin," She said with a smirk. He frowned at that comment. "Let's just get on with the reading, okay?"

"Fine," He muttered. They were silent once more. The silence was very uncomfortable. Lins was having a hard time concentrating knowing that Malfoy was sitting there with her. His presence was annoying her. This whole situation was annoying. And he was going to ask about that stupid kiss. It was terrible. Thankfully, she changed it so they didn't have to talk about that. It seemed that Draco wouldn't bring it up again. They read for a while longer, but Lins was getting tired and had other homework to do.

"Okay," She said. Draco looked up. "I have to finish some other things. We'll take our books and do some reading. Tomorrow, we'll meet back here, same time. Okay?"

"Yeah. I love it when you take control," He said with a smirk. "You should do that more often when we're together."

"Shut it, Malfoy," Lins said, in her warning voice. He just continued smirking. "Arh, whatever."

She left the library carrying her books.

"See you love!" Malfoy called after her. She refused to respond. Instead, she carried on, with a deep hate for him. She hated Snape for pairing them together. She headed back to the Gryffindor Tower and into her room. She quickly did her homework and went to sleep that night, still with the unsettling feeling about Malfoy. Every time she talked to him, she was afraid to look at his lips, just in case. Plus, he was the world's biggest sodding git. Thinking back, she only had one person to blame for this problem. Harry Potter. If he hadn't become friends with Malfoy, then she wouldn't have befriended Ron, and she wouldn't have gotten involved at all with Malfoy. They wouldn't have had their hatred. They would go on pretending the other didn't exist. It was true that he didn't bother with her existence ever because she showed no interest in him, but she got herself involved and now there was nothing she could do about it.

"This sucks," She muttered to herself, before falling asleep.


	4. Four: They're Friends For A Reason

A/n: I'm back. I've been keeping myself busy with this story. I'm just waiting for the new book, and I'm quite excited. I've become kind of an insomniac as well, so that means I write more. I have two chapters, and I really appreciate the reviews I got from _phabandphat _and _T. Riddle. _Everyone, read, review, and enjoy.

Hate's just a word 

Chapter FOUR: They're Friends For a Reason

It was seven o' clock when she entered the library. He was there in the same place as the day before. She took her seat across from him, silently. He looked at her and smirked.

"Hello, dear, it's nice to see you again," He said, menacingly. "I missed you in bed last night. That's not the way to go if you're my slut."

She ignored him to the best of her ability and started to read. It was hard to ignore him. He was such a bastard. She often wanted to punch his lights out, but she realized she needed to do this project. The first few days of the project were very much like this one. He would make annoying comments just to get a rise out of her. She kept her patience most of the time and just ignored him, but sometimes she would show her anger and reply with rude comments. It was becoming routine. During the day, he would annoy her in between classes. She became what Harry had been. She became his number one target. He always targeted Ron, but of course, not when Harry was anywhere near. One day, she was leaving Potions class with Ron. Up ahead of them was Draco and Harry talking like the best of friends.

Lindsay saw the disaster waiting to happen if Ron noticed this.

"Er, Ron, I think Hermione wanted to talk to you," Lins said, knowing that Hermione was behind them.

"Oh, okay…" Ron said, sound a bit confused. He stopped and went in the opposite direction to talk to Hermione. Lins let out a sigh of relief. Ron would have gotten very angry if he had seen Harry and Draco together. She couldn't believe that they were friends and acting the way friends do. It was still mind-boggling.

"Hey, Harry!" She called out. The two of them stopped, and turned. Lins walked up to the two, ignoring the presence of Malfoy. "You left something behind."

"What?" He asked.

"Your best friend," Lindsay replied. Harry raised an eyebrow. "All I'm saying is spend a little more time with him, alright?"

"I guess you're right," He said. He looked at Malfoy. "See you later."

"Yeah, bye," Draco said. Draco and Lindsay looked at each other for a moment. Draco opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't even say a word," Lins said before leaving him there. He frowned and watched her leave. That night, they met in the library at seven as they normally did. Lins was used to the routine, so everything he said had no affect on her. She'd just go along with it as if it were no big deal. It annoyed him that he wasn't annoying her anymore even though he was trying, but there was nothing he could do. They were reading in silence, as they normally did. Lindsay stopped her reading and stared at the Malfoy boy. His blonde hair hung in his eyes as he looked down at his book. For the moment, he didn't look as evil as he normally did. He looked kind of normal for once. And for that moment, he was the most attractive she had ever seen him be.

"Malfoy," She said to him. He looked up.

"What?" He asked, looking straight at her.

"Why? Why are you friends with Harry Potter?" She asked, suddenly and randomly. He stared, taken aback by the question.

"What do you mean 'why'?" He asked.

"Come on! The school year begins and suddenly you guys are the best of friends. What happened over the summer? Why are you friends?" She asked, forcefully.

"Ask him," He muttered. It seemed that there was something he didn't want to tell.

"And _you _can't tell me because…?"

"Fine," He muttered, bitterly. "Dear Uncle Malfoy thought I was a traitor to my family because I'm kind of cowardly, so he decided to kill me. As he was about to execute me, Harry Potter saved me. Normally, I wouldn't have thanked him and I would have gone on with my life as normal. But I couldn't forget it. He saved me although he hated me with everything he had. So, I did thank him. And I decided that I wasn't going to treat him that way anymore. He didn't need it nor deserve it. So I did stop. And we sort of became friends…"

Lins stared, surprised by the answer. He actually sounded sincere about it. It didn't sound like some scheme. It sounded genuine. But she couldn't trust it just yet. Malfoy was a known liar. But the look on his face, prevented her from being on full guard. It just seemed like the truth. She couldn't let him know she was feeling sympathy for him.

"Saved you, huh?" She asked with a smirk. Draco frowned.

"Of course, you wouldn't understand."

"Right, I'm not in with all the dark arts stuff and my dad's not in Voldie's inner circle," Lins muttered.

"Shut up. It's not a joke. He's not something you just joke about," Draco said, angrily.

"Which one? Your Death Eater dad or your so-called Dark Lord?"

"Both."

"Pfft. Your Dad's in jail, man. He won't be controlling the Ministry anymore. And your Dark Lord…he won't last long."

"Are you forgetting He's the most powerful wizard in the world!" Draco hissed.

"He _was_ the most powerful wizard. He hasn't won against Harry yet and he never will. I have confidence in Harry," Lins said, fiercely. "And who do you support the most? Harry Potter, your friend, or your Dark Lord?"

"You don't know anything," He said to her, his voice lowered, and his eyes glowing. He was glaring with the most intense hate.

"You didn't answer my question," She said, glaring back, with the same intense hate.

"Like I said," He growled. "You don't know anything."

"Or are you using him? For information to feed your Dark Lord? I mean, you can't have much other use. Like you said, you are kind of cowardly."

"Shut up!" He hissed. "I'm not using Potter."

"Oh, you're not?" She asked. "That's a surprise. Oh, Potter, you said? Aren't you guys on a first name basis? Because that's common with friends."

"Fuck you," He said. She smiled with satisfaction, and actually started laughing. It felt so good to get a rise out of him. "Oh, it's funny now?" He asked, glaring. He stood up, abruptly. "Well, laugh, go ahead. I admit it. You got me angry. But don't go tonight thinking that you're the better person. You would have made a fine Slytherin, you know. In fact, right now, you're just like me. Aren't I the person you hate the most? Well, guess what? You're acting exactly like me. I hope your happy now."

He grabbed his book and stormed out of the library. Lindsay stopped laughing. Oh, god. He was rubbing off on her. She did enjoy it. She was acting just like him. She was tormenting him and then laughing about it. Yes, he did deserve it, but she was being just like him. She was being the person she hated the most. It made her feel even worse. Now she couldn't even wallow in her victory. She had to go back feeling all crappy because she had turned into Malfoy for those few minutes.

The next day, they got into a fistfight, but they didn't get detentions. They were suffering enough doing Snape's project. By now, they knew everything there was to know about the potion. They couldn't make it, but they were going to get all of the supplies involved. They started with the supply hunt first. It was the easiest part. They each split it into half and they each got half of the supplies. Draco's half was basically the half he'd ask Snape for, since some it wasn't available to the general public. It only took them a couple of days to get the ingredients. Next was the 5-roll essay. That would take forever and they would have to spend more time with each other. Neither of them were looking forward to it, but for some reason, they were becoming more tolerant of each other. They both tried to stick to only talking about the project. They didn't fight as much anymore. They both just wanted to get it all over with.

One day Lindsay realized that she didn't mind him as much as she used to. He had been behaving better later, well, towards her anyway. He only said his usual comments, and nothing that was terribly insulting or infuriating.

"Okay, well, I guess it's time to write the final essay," Lindsay to said to him. He nodded.

"Right."

"So, uh, who's' going to do the actual writing?" Lins asked.

"Who has the better handwriting?" He asked. They both looked at each other before writing down their names. They both studied it for a while. It was obvious who won. Draco had the neatest writing she had ever seen.

"Guess it's you," She said, happy her hand wouldn't be getting cramps anytime soon. He frowned, and stared at her.

"Fine, but you're dictating every word I'm writing down," He said with a smirk. Lins frowned and crossed her arms.

"Why?" She asked, frowning.

"Because I like the sound of your voice," He said, sounding serious, but she knew he was just being himself. She frowned at that, but for some strange reason she had this certain feeling. She almost wished he was telling the truth. She must have been staring, because he raised his hands. "What? It's better than Crabbe's voice. I could imagine him doing this." He put on his best Crabbe voice. "Uh…the Polyjuice Potion was founded in 1937 because they wanted to spy on people and stuff…"

Lindsay found herself laughing. It was a real laugh. Draco smiled. She suddenly realized that Draco was joking and she had laughed because he made her laugh. It wasn't a negative thing… it was positive. Granted, he was making fun of someone, but it wasn't the normal making fun of someone. She stopped laughing once she realized that she was laughing in a good way, with him, and not at him. Draco was smiling, a genuine smile, and the farthest thing away from a smirk. A second later, he realized what she realized. He stopped smiling.

"Let's just get this over with," She said, quickly. He nodded. He sat down in front of the rolls, and she sat down next to him. "Okay. Let's start with background information. In Nineteen Thirty-Seven, the muggles had just emerged themselves in a war. This war was known as World War II. The Allies in European countries were facing the deadly enemy, known as the Axis Powers. There were many dangerous elements in this war, but what the Muggles did not know that there were more magical forces surrounding this war. The wizarding world was dealing with the growing threat of Grindelwald and sides were beginning to form. The Muggle War was a perfect cover-up to the darker side of the Wizarding War…"

She continued on, until Draco's hand needed a rest.

"I must say, it sounds good so far," Draco said, re-reading what he wrote. Lins nodded.

"Of course," She said, feeling proud of herself.

"Oh, and Caldwell?" He said. She looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"You've got a nice laugh," He said. She didn't know whether he was mocking her or not. She didn't know what to say, either. She just stared at him. Luckily, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Harry and Neville. They ended up being partners for Snape's project. It was Snape's perfect way to pair together his least favorite students. This way, he had an excuse to fail them. They knew he was going to fail them, but they still bothered to do the project.

"Hey Harry and Neville," Lindsay said, quickly to them. They looked over.

"Hey," Neville said. He saw Malfoy and looked away. Harry stared.

"Hallo Lins, and Draco," He said, confused at the thought of them sitting together. "What are you two doing here?"

"Our project, what else?" Lins muttered.

"Of course," Harry said. "Uh…us too."

"Which one are you guys doing?" Draco asked.

"The Werewolf Drought," Harry replied. "You?"

"Polyjuice Potion," He replied.

"Oh, that one. Hermione knows a bit or two about that one," Harry said.

"Does she?"

"Yeah, and I do too. I wonder why she didn't choose that one. Or me…" Harry said. Lins stared as the two conversed like pals. Neville was gawking as well. It made absolutely no sense. They made no sense. But Lins was interested in the behavior change of Malfoy when Harry was around. It was interesting. He was still foul to everyone but Harry. He suddenly changed and it was interesting, yet very weird to watch. They talked for a while, but then Harry and Neville went off to do their project.

"Incredible," Lins muttered once they had left. Draco looked at her, ready for insults.

"What's incredible?" Draco asked.

"You're so fake. How can you suddenly turn from bad to good? You act like a total dick to everyone, but when Harry comes around, you're suddenly a nice guy," Lins said. "I could so tell you wanted to call Hermione a 'mudblood' or you wanted to say something about Neville, but you can't. Not in front of dear old Harry."

"Shut up," He said, frowning. He crossed his arms. "You don't know anything about me so stop talking like you do."

"I don't need to know anything. You're an easy person to figure out," She said, crossing her arms.

"Let's finish this tomorrow," Draco said, as he started to gather the rolls. "I'm getting sick of you."

"Fine," She said. The two left and went their separate ways. Lindsay hated him at the moment. He was so confusing. Sometimes he was a total jerk, and other times, he almost had his moments, but then he went back to being a jerk. He was driving her mad. She went back to the common room, and found Ron playing Wizard's Chess by himself. She went and sat down across from him, taking him by surprise.

"Could I?" She asked. "I'm in a mood for a good game."

"Oh, yeah, sure," He said to her. He re-set up the pieces and they started to play. They were quiet for the most part. "So, how was you-know-who?"

"Oh, his normal terrible self," Lins said.

"Have you any thought to what he's using Harry for?" Ron asked, as he directed his piece.

"I've been thinking about it, and I have asked him things, But I don't think he using Harry," Lins said. Ron stared as if she were crazy. "Okay, hear me out. You know how they became friends, right?"

"Yeah, Harry saved 'im for some odd reason."

"Right. Malfoy told me that Harry saved him even though they hated each other, and after thinking about it, he decided he would thank him and he wouldn't treat him bad because he didn't deserve it. They formed a friendship from that. You know and I know Malfoy hasn't changed. His family is still all 'dark arts' and he's still a git. Except when Harry's around. He won't say a wrong word. I think he is trying to make up for the bad way he treated Harry. I don't think he's using Harry for information or anything. Harry's not stupid. He's not going to talk about those things with Malfoy. I think he's genuinely trying to be his friend. But…I think it's different than we think. I know Malfoy may find this as his way of repenting and staying out of Azkaban...but Harry. He's got a lot to gain from this friendship. I mean, the war has started with You-Know-Who. What's a better way to get information than befriend a Death Eater's son? Unlike Harry, Draco is stupid. He would let something slip. It's a good opportunity for Harry. So he accepted Draco's offer of friendship… It makes perfect sense."

Ron stared at her, slightly puzzled and bewildered. "Why wouldn't he tell me something like that?"

"Maybe he can't. You do get angry with Malfoy a lot. What if you let it slip?" Lins said. "I don't know, but there are probably things he's kept from you before. He'll tell you eventually."

"Well, it's an interesting theory," Ron said. "Maybe you're right. Actually, I hope you're right."

"Me too," She said, continuing to play. But there was something she noticed about Malfoy. Harry's obviously had a good effect on him. A little Draco was rubbing off on her, but a little Harry was rubbing off on him. He had moments where he was almost decent. And that made him almost likeable in her eyes. She didn't want him to be almost likable. If he were to be likable, then she could find him attractive. That brought her back to the kiss. She thought about it randomly, and a lot. It was a bad feeling she had, but there was a looming good one.

It was quite frustrating.


	5. Five: The Dance

Hate's Just a Word 

Chapter FIVE: The Dance

Lindsay and Draco were in the library finishing their project. They were just about done. It was due in two days, but the sooner they finished, the better.

"The ingredients just mentioned are very important and needed to be mixed in particular order. The potion needs to be precise to work. It takes about a month to make, and a full moon is needed to finish it up. The last ingredient is the most important one. The last ingredient is something part of the person the maker wishes to transform into such as a hair. A successful Polyjuice Potion will turn the maker's appearance into the others. The Potion is only successful for one hour. After an hour, the maker will revert back to his normal appearance. Such an incident has occurred at Hogwarts back in 1994, involving a false Professor Moody and Bartemius Crouch Jr…"

At last they were close to the finish. They just needed to come up with a conclusion paragraph. Draco flexed his fingers. They hurt from all that writing. Both were happy to be done with the project and finally get rid of each other, but secretly, both were kind of disappointed to see the end of the project. They had gotten use to each other, and maybe this project might have been an excuse to see each other.

"So, the Harvest Dance is coming up," Lindsay said, casually, trying to make a non-offensive conversation. "Who're you going with?"

Draco stared for a second. "Probably, Pansy, as usual. Why? You interested?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "No."

"You're going to ask Weasel then?" He said.

"No. He'll be going with Hermione. They love each other, but don't realize it yet. Okay, Hermione is well aware, but Ron's view is a bit clouded and preoccupied," Lins said. "No, I'm thinking about asking Harry."

Draco stared with disbelief. "Harry?"

"Yeah, Harry," She repeated. A smirk crept on her face. "Jealous?"

"Pfft, yeah right," He said. "Come on, let's get on with it."

"Good idea," She said. She started to dictate again, and finally the project was complete. They looked it over, but it was perfect.

"YES! Finally done! I'm free," Lindsay said, loudly, with happiness. Madame Pince hissed a warning at her. She didn't care. She was expressing her liberation. "It's been…incredibly annoying and stupid. Now, I'm free. Goodbye, Draco Malfoy."

"Goodbye, Darling," He said, mockingly. "I'll put a good word in for you with Harry."

That meant a bad word, but she didn't care. She was free. The two went their separate ways. It was finally over. Lindsay let the smile leave her face. She didn't feel the satisfaction she thought she would feel. She was happy, but at the same time she was kind of sad. She stopped walking and froze for a second. _'Wait a second… Do I like that…jerk? Did I get attached to him? Jeez, it was the looks. It's ALWAYS the looks…'_

It didn't matter. She had no interest in being with him. (If she did, she would hide it well as she was forgetting about it.) But for some odd reason, she felt as if she was going to miss him. It was a weird, and unsettling feeling. _'It IS the looks…' _She went back to Gryffindor Common Room and announced to every one that she was free. They applauded her. Lavender and Parvati still claimed that she was lucky. She strongly disagreed with that, but again the word _looks_ kept making a guest appearance in her head.

She decided to go to bed early that night. She wanted to get you-know-who out of her mind. That proved to be an impossible task. She spent half the night, tossing and turning. She couldn't get that thing off her mind. She realized she had to admit it to herself before she could ever get to sleep. She hated when that happened. The truth did hurt… _'You win, you evil inner-me. I miss Draco Malfoy. I got used to him, and I do find him extra attractive. I might even want him in some strange, twisted way. Okay! Happy now? I just want to sleep…'_

Needless to say, she fell asleep after the stunning revelation.

---

Potions class came along, and everyone handed in their projects. Lins was quite excited for this. It really meant the end of working with him. But she was also contradicting herself. She knew she would miss the evil, annoying blonde-haired beauty. Oh, well. She was going to get rid of that liking, anyway. Potions went by slowly, though. Snape went on forever about nothing, as usual, and they just took notes. Lins spent the class staring at the Malfoy boy she hated so much.

At the end of class, she headed off with Ron as usual. They were on their way to Care of Magical Creatures.

"Snape is a toad," Ron said to her. She nodded.

"If you ever want to die of boredom, he's the man for you," She said, laughing.

"Hey, you're a free woman now," Ron said. Lins nodded.

"I know and it's very exciting," Lindsay said. "No more working with that thing…for now… It's only November…I have a feeling I'll be suffering for the rest of the year…"

"Nah, well maybe, but hopefully not," Ron said, trying to be encouraging. He failed miserably.

"Hey, Lins!" Ron and Lins stopped and looked behind them. Harry was calling out her name. She stopped and waited for him.

"You go on, okay?" She told Ron. He narrowed his eyes, and stared for a second, but went on. Harry approached her.

"Draco told me," He said. Lins refrained from rolling her eyes.

"Wonderful," She mumbled.

"The answer is yes," He said. She stared, taken aback.

"Yes? Are you sure? Do you even know what the question is?" She asked, making sure this wasn't another one of Draco's fun little pranks.

"You wanted to go to the dance with me, right?" He asked. She nodded, slowly. "Then yes to all of your questions…"

"Oh, okay then," She said. They started to walk to class. Lins was confused about something. Did Draco actually do something…nice? Harry must really be rubbing off on him.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask Ron," Harry said as they walked.

"Ron's a nice guy. He's a friend. Plus, I think he should be with Hermione. They love each other," She said. She quickly looked over at him. "Maybe you didn't want to hear that?"

"It's okay. I'm not jealous…okay, a little. I'm not worried about it," Harry said. "Anyway, Draco said you wanted to go with him, but he turned you down so you settled for me."

Lins remembered why she hated Malfoy. "Harry, you're a friend, but please don't mind me calling you an idiot for believing that crap. Of course he would say that… I'm not in love with Malfoy!"

"Eh, sorry," Harry said, sheepishly. They made it to their class. Lins went and sat in her normal seat. Everyone made it and Hagrid went on the lesson as usual. She wasn't really paying attention. She felt more like not thinking about anything. Suddenly a piece of paper flew by her, barely missing her head. It was a flying note. It landed on her lap, and she guessed it was from Malfoy. It always was. He was determined to never leave her alone. She stared at it, and didn't want to open and act like she cared. But she was curious. She opened up the piece of paper.

_To my dearest Lindsay,_

I miss you being next to me in the night. You won't even look at me. We should really get together more often. You know you want me. I'm sure you recall a certain potions class. You do find me attractive. Now, admit that you want me… I'll be waiting.

_ Yours truly,_

_ Draco Malfoy_

She looked up at over at him. He was waiting for a reaction. She simply glared and flipped him off. She decided to write a note back to him.

_Malfoy,_

_ You're a loser. You're the biggest git the world's ever seen.Get over yourself. I don't want you. Leave me alone. Just go away and die or something. You're quite annoying, but whatever. Bother me if you must. Or you could get a life. The answer will always be no._

_ -Lins_

_ P.S. Thanks for the 'good words'. He said yes, and he never really believed you when you said that I was in love with you. _

She sent the note back to him. She watched him as he read it and frowned. He looked back at her and mouthed some curses, but at the end he had to add a 'You know you want me.' She just rolled her eyes, and looked at Hagrid while he went on talking. God, Draco made life so much more complicated. She liked her new friends, but she wished she didn't have the burden. And the more Draco said that she wanted him, the more she would believe it. Avada-Kedavraing herself seemed like a good idea and she was seriously considering it. It would solve all her problems.

---

The Harvest Dance came. It was a near-end of November event. It was Dumbledore's idea. He wanted the children to keep their mind off the growing danger of Voldemort and such. He knew they needed to have some fun. Everyone got ready. Harry and Lins were going together. Ron and Hermione were going together (as predicted). It promised to be fun. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lindsay headed off together to the dance. They all looked very nice. Especially Hermione. She looked the best out of the group. Harry was becoming more defined and better looking. They went together to the Great Hall. It was decorated with Autumn themes. Music was playing and everyone was filing in. People were already dancing.

Hermione dragged Ron out to dance. Harry and Lindsay looked at each other, and smiled nervously.

"Do you want to…?" Harry started to ask.

"Uh, only if you want to," She said.

"Sure, but I'm horrible," He said.

"Me too," She said. The two went out to the dance floor, near Ron and Hermione. Harry put his hand on her waist, and the other hand grasped on hers. They started to move their feet. Harry led, but it wasn't much help. Hermione was trying desperately to help Ron, but she was being stepped on a lot. The group danced for a while. They took their breaks, standing and talking, and eating, and drinking.

"I like this song," Harry said. He looked at Linds. She nodded, and let Harry lead the way. They started to dance again. Suddenly, Draco appeared out of absolutely nowhere, dancing with Pansy.

"Hey you two," He said, greeting as if they were both his friends. As a matter of fact, only one of them was his friend. Pansy was horrible looking as usual, and she had a nasty smirk on her face. "Having fun?"

"Yeah," Harry replied. Draco looked over at Lindsay.

"Loads of it," Lindsay replied, glaring at the Malfoy boy.

"I bet you're jealous because he took me instead of you. We all know you're in love with him," Pansy suddenly said. Lindsay looked over at her.

"Oh, yeah, jealous," Lindsay replied sarcastically. "You go on and have Malfoy, uh…what was your name again… uh, whatever. I'm satisfied with who I'm with at the moment. He _is_ Harry Potter…"

Pansy glared, and Harry wasn't sure whether to interfere or not.

"Well, we'll be seeing you later," Draco said. He started to wander off, but not before sending a wink Lindsay's way. She felt frustrated, but wouldn't let him ruin her good time.

"Harry, I don't understand how you stand him. He is a Slytherin and more importantly, he's a Malfoy," Lindsay said, with a sigh.

"You don't understand it…" Harry said, softly.

"He said that to me, too," Lindsay said, exasperated. "I have my theories, though."

"Theories?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you wouldn't be interested…" She said, innocently. Harry suppressed a laugh.

"Try me."

"Okay," She said, smiling. "One of you is using the other. Ron thinks that he was using you. I'd have to disagree. I think you may be using him. You know, Death Eater's son… soon to be follower of You-Know-Who, and you're the defender of all that is good and justice. Anyway, you're in the fight against You-Know-Who, so you should get all the info you can."

Harry stared, before chuckling to himself. "I like it… Yes, I may be using Malfoy to get information about Voldemort…Oh, sorry. You-know…" But she didn't flinch. "You didn't flinch…"

"No, I never really believed in him. I mean, I was just an infant. I don't remember him, so I really never believed in him…"

"You do realize he exists and he's back?"

"Of course, I'm in your classes, Harry. You've told us all…" Lindsay said. "I realized he existed after the Triwizard Tournament, but what's the big deal? He was defeated by a baby…"

"You are aware what he did before I was born, right? He killed tons of people, my parents, included," Harry said, seriously. Lindsay nodded.

"Yeah. My parents were killed as well as my grandparents," She said as if it were just some random tragedy. Harry stared. He didn't know that.

"By Him?" He asked. Lindsay shook her head.

"By a Death Eater named Lucius…"

"Oh. Him…" Harry said, feeling sorry. "Sorry."

"Don't be… I didn't know them…"

"Is this why you hate Draco?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No, I hate him because he's a stupid git," She said, smiling a bit. Harry laughed. "I can tell, he shares the same beliefs as his father, but he'll never be even what half of his father is. He's too cowardly. Lucius does have cowardice, but nothing that compares to his son. Draco can never be a full-fledged Death Eater. He has a lot of cowardice and fear. He'll be on the side that lives…He's a good suck-up. BUT, enough about him. He's a loser."

"Okay, just one more question. Why were your family members killed?" He asked.

"Just innocent bystanders…" She said, with a sigh. They finally dropped the topic. After a little more dancing, they went off to sit down. Harry talked to Ron and Hermione a bit and Lindsay relaxed. The dance went on for a while, and soon it was drawing to a close. Lindsay was relaxed and sat down, listening to the music. Harry had went to talk to Hagrid for a little bit. She was waiting for his return. She stared down at her lap, and listened to the music, intently. Suddenly, she heard her name being called.

"Lindsay," The voice said. It was who she thought to be Harry. She looked up, but she didn't see Harry. Instead, she saw Draco walking towards her at a fast speed. There was no escape. She stood up and faced him, for she had no other choice.

"What do you want?" She asked, bitterly. Draco smirked, and extended his hand.

"This dance, actually," He said. As if on a cue, a slow song came on. She couldn't believe it.

"Why would I ever say 'yes'?" She asked him, crossing her arms.

"Because you want to," He said, simply. She stared at him, frowning a little. She didn't want to, but she decided to be brave. She was going to make a statement and she gave into temptation. She took his hand and he grinned. He led her out to the dance floor. Many stared. They were worst enemies, and now suddenly, they were dancing. Draco put his arm around her waist, and pulled her quite closer than necessary. She kept her patience. She wouldn't be tempted by him. She would dance with him with patience. She wouldn't give him a bloody nose. She put her hand around his neck and they danced. It was a bloody spectacle. Everyone seemed to be watching out of the corners of their eyes. They danced fiercely, and it was attention catching. They didn't take their eyes off each other the whole time. They kept direct eye contact the whole time. He had a smirk on his face, and she had a glare on hers.

The way they danced was perfect. They were in sync and they did not make one mistake. It was perfect fit, except they did not match. Lindsay didn't want to admit that it was comfortable. It was a comfortable fit. She liked his hand on her waist, and she liked touching his neck. She liked that they were so close that they could feel the breath of the other. At the same time, she hated it so much. After what seemed like forever, the song ended. The stopped in their tracks, and stared at each other. It seemed there was the secret message between them. It was loud and clear. They wanted each other. Maybe it was some sexual attraction, lust, or something, but neither would admit it if their lives depended on it.

"What would you do if I snogged you, right here, right now?" Draco asked. Lindsay stared at him, appalled by his question.

"Punch your face in," Lins replied. Draco smiled.

"Good. Just making sure you didn't get too use to me," He said.

"Never," She replied. She took her hand from his neck. He released her hand, and then removed his hand from her waist. They stared at each other for a moment, before going off in opposite directions.

She went back and took her seat. Harry was there. She felt herself redden. She just danced with another guy. Her attractive enemy, in fact. She wondered if Harry felt at all betrayed or ditched. She sat down next to him and looked at him.

"I saw you two," He said.

"I guess everybody did," She said, disappointed by that.

"You danced well with him," Harry said. She shrugged and shook her head.

"He's a loser and I hate him, still. Know that, my friend," She said, clarifying her stance. "I don't care how I danced when I was with him. I only did it because it was unexpected."

"I know you dislike him. You won't let me forget it," Harry said, smiling. Lindsay smiled back. Ron suddenly came towards her, practically flying, and Hermione was trailing.

"What was that?" Ron asked, demanding an answer. "You were just dancing with Malfoy!"

"I think she's aware of that, Ron," Hermione said. She mouthed a 'sorry' to Lindsay.

"It was her way to torment Draco," Harry said. "I tried to stop her, but she refused to listen. She stepped on him bunches."

"No you didn't. I was watching."

"You and the rest of the school," Lindsay muttered, unhappily. "It was nothing, Ron. I was proving a point to Malfoy. And I was tormenting him. If only you were close enough to hear the conversation."

"Nothing more?" Ron asked. She nodded.

"I'm not part of the DMOC," She said. "I never will be. Now, go off and dance."

Hermione mouthed a 'thank you' and the two left.

"Wanna dance?" Lindsay asked Harry. He nodded. The two went up and danced. The dance ended, and everyone headed back to their dorms to go to bed. Lindsay was thinking about Draco again, and luckily, she didn't see him as she was living. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She felt so right being in his arms. She hated her conflicting feelings, and wished she would just make up her mind. In the common room, she gave Harry a hug and kiss on the cheek, and thanked him for the fun. She went up stairs and changed into her pajamas. She laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was _his _fault. He was good looking, but he was also totally mean. He had his moments, but then he would go and be such a loser.

The other girls came in. Lavender and Parvati came in and they looked at her.

"You awake, Lindsay?" Lavender asked. She sat up and looked at them. She might as well deal with them now instead of pretending she was asleep and deal with them later.

"Uh-huh," She replied, quietly.

"We saw you dancing with Malfoy," Lavender said.

"It was very romantic," Parvati said.

"He wasn't my date, you know," She said. "Harry was, just as friends of course. Malfoy and I aren't involved romantically."

"Oh, then why were you dancing with him?" Lavender asked.

"Good question," She said to herself.

"Nonetheless, you guys look cute together," Parvati said. "If you get together, I will be extremely jealous, but I'll support you."

"Er…thanks…if that were to happen…" Linds said.

"Same here," Lavender said.

"Right," She said. She laid back down and closed her eyes, trying her hardest to go to bed.


	6. Six: Her Attractive Enemy

A/n: Welcome back! As we all know, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince just came out so this means the story is officially A/U, and that's exciting, but don't worry. I loved the book so much that towards the end of the school year, you'll be seeing some similairities. I'm now trying my best to insert subtle things in from the book. I shall still continue on. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow. Thanks to reviewers, and everyone please read and review.

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter SIX: Her Attractive Enemy

December rolled on in. Lindsay became more of a loner. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were busy and more secretive. They were probably doing their secret anti-Voldemort stuff. Harry had been spending less time with Draco, and Ron had been spending less time with Lindsay. She didn't really mind. He had other things to deal with and she understood that. She spent most of her time, reading a good book or something like that. Apparition Lessons started, and that was probably the most exciting thing going on.

Malfoy still attempted to make her life a living hell, everyday, but she was becoming more and more used to it. It started to become unfazing. Nothing he did mattered anymore. She felt herself becoming less attracted to him, and that made her happy. They hadn't gotten into any fights, yet in December. The snow soon followed, and Hogsmeade's visits went. She usually went and wandered by herself. At school, they had their tests and things as normal before Christmas break. Other things were happening though, and she could feel them. They were much bigger than her, though, so she left it up to the Golden Trio.

Christmas break rolled around. Most everyone left Hogwarts. It was insanely empty, yet quiet. The trio stuck around. They wanted to remain close to Dumbledore. Lindsay remained at Hogwarts. She didn't want to go home that year. Unfortunately, the only other people in the school were Slytherins, and among them was Draco, of course. As the months had been going on, Lindsay had more and more problems sleeping. She finally gave up at trying to sleep, and decided to take late night walks instead. On the day before Christmas Eve, she was on one of her walks again. It was the only way to clear her mind. She normally walked in the dark. It was quiet and she only heard footsteps, but she could have sworn she heard more footsteps. Lindsay stopped, took out her wand, and listened to the footsteps. They didn't sound like an adult. She whispered the word 'Lumos' and a light appeared from her wand. In front of her, doing the same thing, was Draco Malfoy. She couldn't believe her luck. Well, it seemed she didn't have much of it obviously.

"Lindsay?" He asked, surprised to see her.

"Draco," She said, sounding upset to see him.

"Oh, you've decided you miss me and came to see me," Draco said, smirking.

"No, just walking," She said.

"I've missed you, you know," He said.

"You see me everyday. You torment me _everyday_. I don't see how you can miss me," She said, bitterly.

"I mean, spending time together," He said. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't feel the same way," She said, although she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Well, if you'll excuse me." She started to walk by him, but he grabbed her arm, preventing her from going on. She turned and glared.

"What is it?" She snapped.

"You…" He stared. "You've been thinking about it too. You've been thinking about me, haven't you? You don't want to, but you do and you hate it, but you might as well accept it, right? Cause you like the gorgeous Malfoy boy and you don't want to, yet there's nothing you can do…"

She stared at him, and frowned.

"Well, I've been thinking about you, too," He said. She continued to stare.

"What are you talking about?" Lindsay asked, as if she had no idea what he was talking about. In fact, he actually nailed it pretty well.

"Come on," He said. "You've known since the dance. That's when you realized it. That's when _I_ realized it. I could tell… I guess it started with that kiss, but we sealed it when we danced."

"I'm sorry, but I don't share your point of view," She said. She shook his hand off and started to walk off. Draco grabbed her again, but spun her around. Before she had a chance to yell and curse at him, he suddenly pressed his lips against hers in a kiss. She was in shock and didn't pull away. It wasn't a deep kiss. It was much like the one from before. He pulled back. She stared at him. His blue eyes were shining in the glare. He looked at her, before going in for another kiss. Instead of retaliating or running away, she kissed him back. His arms went around her waist, and her arms went around his neck and on his face. Lins dropped her lighted wand on the floor.

The two snogged as if they had never done it before. It was kind of fierce and fueled by much relentless passion. Both of them had been waiting so long to do this and the moment was here. They went on for a while actually. Suddenly, Lindsay had a realization. _I'm making out with Draco Malfoy. The boy I hate. My attractive enemy, but my enemy nonetheless._ She had a feeling that Lavender and Pavarti would be proud, but they would never know. No one would. She suddenly pulled away, confusing Draco. He opened his eyes and looked down at Lindsay.

"We can't do this," She whispered to him. He frowned.

"That's bullshit," He said. "Mood killer, and a dramatic one at that."

Lindsay bent over and picked up her wand. She came back up and looked at Draco, who was frowning.

"What? This is wrong and you know it…" She said, crossing her arms.

"Whatever. That's no reason to stop," Draco said.

"It is," Lindsay insisted. "As far as I'm concerned, this never happened."

She walked off, feeling only a little satisfied. The truth be told, she liked it and wanted more. But she knew it was wrong and made no sense. She couldn't do it.

"See you tomorrow, then?" He asked, being his devilish self. She ignored him. God, it felt so good. It was even better that it was forbidden. She knew it wasn't really love or anything like that. It was lust. She didn't want it to be that. If she was going to have a relationship with someone, it was going to be with love and not simply for sex. But she still had one thought in her head that was never going to leave. _Damn, Malfoy is a good kisser._

She went back feeling quite weird. She felt guilty that she had committed such an act, but also there was a feeling of fulfillment. She knew one thing. She went to sleep with a smile on her face and she definitely wanted more. The next day was Christmas Eve. She wrapped her presents for the Golden Trio. She made a thing for Harry that said 'Thanks for saving all of humanity about four or five times. Keep it up.' For Ron she wrote 'You're damn good at Wizard's Chess. Know that.' And for Hermione: 'Thank you for putting up with Harry and Ron so we don't have to.'

She tried her best to avoid Malfoy. During meal times, he would send looks towards her, but she pretended that she didn't see any of them. At night, she was lying in bed, determined not to leave. She would not go and 'meet' Malfoy again. No, she had to prove that she didn't want him. Yet, at eleven-thirty, she couldn't help it. She wanted had to get her walk. Maybe she wouldn't meet Malfoy. It was earlier than the night before.

She crept out of the dorms, and then out of the common room. She left the Gryffindor Tower. She went on her usual walk, and her usual path. She wandered upon the hallway where she had met Malfoy the night before. She could feel chills going up and down her spine. She stopped and listened for a second. There was only silence. She let out a sigh of relief and started down the hallway. She came to the spot where she was yesterday, and had the urge to walk faster. Suddenly, she heard a voice and a light appeared. She looked over to see Draco Malfoy leaning against the wall, obviously waiting for her.

"Unbelievable!" Lindsay muttered angrily. "I can't even take walks anymore."

Draco stepped forward, holding his wand out in front of him. "Liar."

"What?" She asked. Before he could answer, she realized to talk to him was bad. Talking led to more kissing. "Forget it. I'm continuing with my walk."

She started on. Draco Malfoy just smirked, and started to walk along side with her. Lindsay quickly realized this, and looked at him, menacingly. He had the smirk on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Walking," He said, as if he were doing nothing wrong. He could be so annoying at times. Especially now. "Like you do."

She rolled her eyes and continued walking. He walked right alongside her, in perfect step. He knew it was annoying her.

"Turn off your light," Lindsay hissed.

"_Knox_," He whispered. The two walked in the darkness. They were relatively quiet. Draco didn't speak at all, which was quite a surprise. He usually loved to talk. He obviously loved the sound of his own voice. It was actually annoying. He kept walking with her, every step of the way.

"Okay, Malfoy, this is absolutely ridiculous," Lindsay said, stopping suddenly. She lit up her wand and raised it to reveal his smirk.

"I was hoping you would say that. Let's get onto business, shall we?" He said, just as he would say. That bastard.

"Forget it," She said. "I don't care if you like it or if I liked it. I don't want a relationship based on snogging. I want a relationship with actual feelings and that is one we obviously don't have. I admit, you've charmed me with your looks, but it's over as of now."

"Over is it?" Draco said. "You think you know _everything_. You don't know how I feel. I do like snogging, I must say, but that isn't all I like or care about. I do like you in more than one way. You're smart, sarcastic, and quite determined. You reminded me of me…actually, sometimes. It isn't all just a sexual thing, just so you know. Although, I do find the 'playing hard to get' sexy."

"Oh, what are you saying Malfoy? You like me for who I am? A smart Gryffindor who gets foul with people like you? Right. I've learned that you're a wonderful liar," Lindsay said, crossing her arms.

"What if I'm not lying?" He asked.

"Yeah, and your dad's not a _Death Eater_," She muttered sarcastically.

"I do like you whether you want to hear the words or not," Draco said, crossing his arms, quite angry at the last remark.

"The only reason I haven't walked away and the only reason I have given you the time of day is because of Harry Potter," Lindsay said, very sternly and coldly.

"Harry?" Draco asked, confused.

"Well, he sees something in you if he can stand talking to you for more than five minutes without the urge to punch you or walk away," Lins said. "So, I've tried so hard to tolerate you. I admit, you do have your moments. I think it's something you've picked up from Harry. But because of him, _I've_ tried to see something in you. It's hard. It's hard to tolerate you…But fine. I'm not going to say I'm attracted to you because of your _simply charming_ personality. I say it's mostly about your looks. But you seem to be under the illusion that you like me and we have some chance together… so fine."

"So fine? What the hell does that mean?" Draco asked, bewildered.

"It means, hurry and snog me Draco before I change my mind," Lindsay said. Draco stared for a second, but as soon as he processed the sentence, he didn't hesitate. They started kissing as they did the night before. This time, it wasn't as angry or as fierce before. It was more sweet and savored. They both admitted they wanted each other in a different way. They went on for longer than the night before, and it was better this time.

At last, they stopped, mutually this time. The two looked at each other.

"See you tomorrow then?" Draco asked, with a much softer tone than the day before. Lindsay nodded. They two let go of each other and headed their separate ways.

"Oh, and Happy Christmas," Draco called out. She turned and smiled. Maybe, this could somehow work. Maybe…

Christmas was wonderful. Lindsay felt happy knowing that Draco wasn't just using her for sex. Well, not yet, anyway. The trio loved their presents, and she appreciated the presents she received from them. It was a fun-filled, peaceful day. Of course, the trio was too preoccupied with other things, so she spent it mostly alone. Around late afternoon, she went to the library, and sat in its quietest corners and relaxed.

Of course, who should make a guess appearance, but Draco himself? She sat there, alone and relaxed when she heard his voice.

"I've been looking for you," He said to her, suddenly. She jumped a bit, taken by surprise.

"Oh, have you?" She asked him.

"Yeah. Someone saw you go in here a while ago, luckily. So, here we are," Draco said.

"I suppose so," She said. They were quiet for a second. "Are you going to stand there forever or sit down?"

He grinned and sat down opposite of her. The two started the process of getting acquainted with each other, since they didn't know a lot of things about each other. They spent the time talking about what they liked and didn't like. There was no snogging involved.

"So, what don't you like?" He asked.

"A better question would be what do I like," She muttered. "Ready, here it goes. Potions class, the DMOC, gits, Slytherin, Death Eaters, the 'Dark Lord', sell-outs, evil people, Snape, and of course, you."

"I figured you would say those things," Draco said, although he did not seem the least bit offended. "That's quite lovely."

"To me, Malfoy, you're a walking contradiction," Lindsay said. "You're dad is a famous, rich _death eater_. For all I know, you're a _death eater in training_ along Crabbe and Goyle , and other Slytherins. You're probably quite excited to get the Dark Mark. Your _wonderful_ lord has finally returned and everyone knows it. You've realized that if he comes to full power no one could stop him. All except one boy. Harry-freakin-Potter. Well, HP is here and your _great_ lord has failed to kill him about five times already. He can't beat HP. I don't know if you have realized that yet, but Potter is the one person Voldemort can't defeat, well, along with Dumbledore. And Harry Potter saves your life once and suddenly, you like him. You're friends. Your lord won't appreciate this. Unless you were using him to get information, then that's a whole different story. But you're not. You're a wonderful liar, but even I can tell that you're not."

Draco stared for a moment. "You know, you don't quite understand this…"

"You both keep saying that. I understand enough. It's impossible for you guys to be _friends._ It's impossible. After all that has happened, you can't just drop the past and suddenly become friends. You have a reason to like him. He saved you from death, but he has absolutely no reason to have anything to do with you. Sure, he'd accept the truce. He's a wonderful person, but he wouldn't be friends with you. Of course…unless…"

"He's using me for information?" Draco asked. Lindsay hesitated for a second.

"Yeah," She replied. Draco started laughing.

"You and your crazy theories. You just don't—"

"Understand? Yeah, you've said that about 100 times already," She said, wearily. "Fine, I get it. Then why don't you explain it to me?"

Draco sighed, heavily. "Fine. " He paused before going on. "We've never had the need to say it aloud, because we both know it ourselves. When we started talking, you know, in a friendly way, we both knew it would never last. It's an unspoken thing between. We both know the Lord is back and we both have picked our sides. When the time comes, we'll go to our sides, yet that moment hasn't arrived yet, so we're still friends. We both know that it is impossible for this to last, but for now, we won't make each other's lives hard. We'll be friends until that time comes. It's not going to last, of course. But for now, we'll do it."

Lindsay stared. "So, that's it…Doomed and you both know it, but you'll do it anyway."

"Yeah, that's about it," He said, speaking quietly and seriously.

"Sounds like another relationship I know," Lindsay mumbled. Draco looked at her.

"Don't be so optimistic," Draco muttered, sarcastically. "You would have made a fine Slytherin."

"Yeah, I've heard," She said, unhappily. "The hat considered it for me. It said…" She suddenly paused, causing Draco to raise an eyebrow. "It said some stupid things, and asked me if I wanted to go in. I told it Hell no, so it put in me in Gryffindor."

"Pity, you should have said yes," Draco said. "We could have been together much sooner."

"Oh, yeah, pity," She muttered, sarcastically. "Let's not talk about that."

They moved on to other things, to get off of the sore topic. They were still getting used to talking to each other. They were there for a long time talking, which was a surprise. Usually, one of them got annoyed with the other, but they secretly were trying to make it work.

"Well, it seems to be dinner," Draco said. "But I wanted to tell you that…" He paused. "I want to make it work. I know you think this is a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe it is, but I want to make it work. I want to prove that even though I may be a git, I can get with a girl who previously hated me."

"Draco, Draco, it's too bad that this is a _secret_. Not only that, but I'll always hate you, even if it's just a little," She said.

"Well, we'll have to change that then," Draco said. With a smirk, he walked away. Lindsay rolled her eyes. Why did she like that boy anyway?

She went to a dinner, a good while after Draco left. She didn't eat a lot, though. She wasn't that hungry. She went back to her dorm room, and took a little nap. She knew she probably wouldn't be sleeping later on. She was right. When she woke up, everyone was already asleep. She crept out of bed, still in her uniform, and walked out of the dorm, and then the Gryffindor tower. She walked to the place where she usually met Malfoy. He was there, already waiting. He was standing there, looking a bit alarmed.

"Hey," He said to her. "I think Mrs. Norris just walked by."

Lindsay's eyes widened. "What are you still doing here?" She hissed. She rolled her eyes, and grabbed him by his sleeve, and started dragging him. She started to look around for a place to hide. There was none.

"Great, Filch will find us, and everyone will know that Lindsay and Draco were caught together in the middle of night…" Lindsay muttered. _I really need a place to hide…_

Suddenly, there was a door Lindsay didn't noticed before.

"Come on," She muttered to Draco, as she stepped through. The two were suddenly in a room. There were a few tables, no chairs, and that was it. "I've never seen this place before."

"Neither have I…" Draco said.

"Well, whatever. As long as Filch doesn't find us…" She said. She looked at Draco and sighed. She went through a lot of trouble to be with him and she wasn't even sure if she really liked him _that_ much. She turned her head from him and started to look around. Well, it was weird room. It served its purpose. There was no sounds. Filch and Mrs. Norris wouldn't find them. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped herself around, but it was just Draco and it was just his way to get her closer to him. She looked up at him, noticing the limited space between them and laughed a little.

"Good try," She said.

"Well, I know you're into snogging, but you think you want to modest or something. I don't care about modesty," He said, smirking.

"Apparently…" She said. He leaned down and kissed her, and she even accepted it. They didn't snog as they usually did for long, periods of a time. They only kissed for a minute or so. It was sweet. Draco broke away, and grinned down at Lindsay. She blushed mostly because she actually liked it. He ran his hands through her long brown hair. She hated the way he made her feel. She hated it so much.

"So, let's talk," Draco said, taking her by surprise. Her jaw dropped and his grin became wider. "Oh, what? Expected to snog? I knew it! I knew you love it."

"No, I don't," Lindsay said, blushing, and turning away at the same time. She was embarrassed because he was totally and completely correct.

"Yeah, you don't, and my dad's not a death eater," He said, sarcastically. She suppressed a laugh and went over to sit down on of the tables. Draco followed and sat down next to her.

"You wanted to talk, so go ahead," She said.

"Aw. What?" He asked, trying to suppress a smile. "You actually believed that."

"Talk now, snog later," She said, trying harder than him not to smile. So the two talked about things. They both tried to stay off the topics that would cause them to fight. Although there was much sarcasm and lewd comments involved, they didn't fight, and there was laughing. Lindsay felt a tad bit guilty that she was actually enjoying this.

"Music? Draco Malfoy has time to listen to music?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah," He replied. "I know. I usually just listen to the classical music of some of the more talented wizards. It's what my dad listens to."

"Oh, classical…" Lindsay said, clearly not appreciative of that type of music. "You're evil. Evil people are always angsty and crazy… I think you'd like _Green Day_."

"What's that?" Draco asked, frowning.

"Oh, if only you knew. You have yet to be enlightened. If only I had a guitar…" Lindsay said. She looked across the room, almost on cue, as one suddenly appeared. Draco followed her gaze.

"What the hell…?" He asked.

"I think this is the room that Ron was telling me about. I forget what it's call, but he accidentally mentioned it. If you wish for something really hard, it appears or something like that. I did wish for a room to hide from Filch from…"

She jumped off the table, retrieved the guitar, and returned. "Okay, ready… well, I'm not sure if I remember this….And mind you, this would be much cooler if this was not only an electric guitar, but I had a bass player and a drummer…Oh, and if I could sing…that would be helpful…but alas I cannot. At least better than Crabbe…"

Malfoy had absolutely no idea what those things were, but he nodded.

"Do as I say not as I do because …" She went on for a couple of minutes.

"That's just the gist," She said. Draco stared. It was true that she couldn't sing at all, and she wasn't very good on the guitar. He hoped the original was better than that.

"No wonder my father prefers music without words… that made absolutely no sense," Draco said.

"Alas, the great mind of Billie Joe…" She said in admiring way.

"Muggle music…isn't it?" Draco asked. She nodded. He should have known it all along.

"You would like them. If only electronics worked… Well, if that war thingy is ever over, and you survive and are not in Azkaban, you'll have to give it a listen," She said. "Oh, that one was Walking Contradiction. It reminds me of you. I had called you that earlier on…"

"Oh, right…" He remembered. He would still always prefer music without words…or at least something that was wizard in origin. He didn't want to listen to muggle music, but he didn't say anything. He narrowed his eyes. "You know a lot about muggles, don't you?"

"We've established I'm not muggle-born. Yeah, I know you're not into that kind of thing," She said with a tired sigh.

"Half, then?" He asked, although he didn't really prefer that either.

"No," She replied. "Pure, but that's for another time. Let's do something else."

"Something else?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrow and smirking.

"Yeah, something else," Lindsay said as she put the guitar aside. She put her hand on his neck, and softly caressed him. He leaned over and they began their usual routine.


	7. Seven: The Dark Past

A/n: Here's the next chapter as promised. Please read and review, and please enjoy.

**Hate's Just A Word**

Chapter SEVEN: The Dark Past

For many nights, they returned to the mysterious room with the tables. Draco always wondered 'Why tables? Why on Earth wish for tables', but that mattered not when he had her on top of one. Christmas break ended, and the students returned. Classes resumed, unfortunately. Draco and Lindsay started to live a lie. They put on an act for everyone. They were still what they had been before. They ignored each other, they taunted, and they fought. No one suspected a thing. They were pretty good actors, although they did sometimes have trouble supressing that secret smile.

It was late January and the two were still praticing their charade. It was in a Defense Against the Dark Arts class where they were paired up once more. Yet, this time in groups of four. This group included Lindsay, Draco, Hermione, and Blaise Zabini. It was not a wise choice at all for the four of them to work together. They were practicing a defensive spell that had the same defense as _protego_ did, yet it cast a bubble around the user. The group assembled much to all of their dislikes.

"Now, Lindsay, promise me you won't go and get yourself into trouble for the things he'll say to me…" Hermione whispered.

"If you mean fighting, I'll refrain although I have a much more powerful method," She whispered back, thinking of all the bad things she could do to him.

"Well, here we have Granger, the—well you know what you are…and Caldwell… very interesting. Don't you think, Blaise?" Draco said, devilishly.

"I think that we're stuck with a couple of Gryffindors. One mudblood, and one stupid bitch…" Blaise said, sounding bored.

"That so?" Lindsay asked, obviously getting steamed. Draco was one thing, but Blaise Zabini was no where near to the status that he could get away with saying that. She raised her wand. "Wands out, boys. Time to practice."

"Whoa, wait a second," Draco said as his eyes widened. Hermione sighed. The trouble started already.

_"Tarantallegra!"_

_ "Surroundo," _Hermione said, just in time. The spell hit the sheild she created and nothing happened to the boys. Of course, they didn't thank her. Lindsay shot her a glare, but didn't complain.

"I don't need a mudblood to help me out," Zabini said. Lindsay glared.

"I've never used Avada-Kedavra before, but I'm sure I could kill you if I did," Lindsay said, getting annoyed with this Zabini boy.

"Well, I bet Draco's _Avada-Kedavra_ could beat yours," Zabini said, dragging Draco into this. He sighed.

"Maybe. His dad's a _death eater_ after all," She said. Draco sighed once again. _She always brings that up. Why does she always do that?_

"Guess that settles it. I win," Draco said, in his usual, cold and very annoying voice.

"Yeah, what's your dad, a muggle?" Blaise asked.

"No, my dad's dead," She replied, with only the feeling of anger shown in her voice. There was a silence with in the group. "Killed by a Death Eater. Maybe he deserved it, but not the way he died. Usually, your stupid Dark Lord kills the one he hates himself, and he hated my dad, but he had other things to do and sent…"

"Lindsay!" Hermione said, interrupting her rant of rage. Lindsay stopped, and realized that she was telling a story she told to no one… She looked at Hermione and couldn't find the words to thank her. She then looked at the to boys. Blaise looked unfazed. Lindsay could see that Draco was hiding an expression, but he was shocked by her. She walked from the group, and claimed to the teacher that she was feeling ill. He let her leave to go to the hospital wing. She never returned to class. Luckily, Harry was able to take Lindsay's place and Hermione was not left alone with two Slytherins. As usual, Draco watched his language around Harry and left Hermione alone.

That night, Lindsay didn't show to the room. Draco was disappointed. He wanted to talk to her about the incident. He guessed that she needed time alone. Maybe they did need time alone. He sat around the room for a while, even though he knew she wasn't coming. Sighing, he got up and left the room. He walked back to his dorm room. He could feel the troubling times ahead. They were coming. He felt the pressure already. He was the next generation Death Eater. That was…if the war got that far. It was going to be a struggle. Although he had confidience in the Dark Lord, he couldn't help but feel that maybe his side wouldn't' win. The other side had Harry Potter. Every single time he's been against the Lord, he's been able to escape without harm. Lindsay was always going on about how Harry would win.

It was going to come… the time when he would go on his side, and Harry would go on his. They would become enemies once more, just as it was meant to be. But he was dreading that time…Because he would lose _her._ There was no way she was joining his side. They had this hate going, but there was also this feeling of love. She probably hated that feeling more than she hated him. She was constantly fighting that feeling, he knew that, but he had ways to make her give in.

She was mean to him, and brutally honest. Harry and his friends used to insult him all the time, but at least he had a good comeback. He was bad at insulting her. She constantly reminded him of his flaws, and for some twisted reason, he was okay with that. Yeah, his dad was a death eater. Yeah, he might end up in a bad situation after the war. Yeah, he was a foul, stupid git who was shallow. It was a slap in the face, but she helped him realize that he wasn't perfect.

He always knew he would end up in a twisted relationship. He liked it for some strange reason, and he knew that she did, too.

She gave herself a couple of days to break, and then she returned as usual. He probably had forgotten the incident by then. She went to the room, and he was sitting down on the tables, looking at the wall. The blonde boy quickly turned his head and squinted his eyes. A smile appeared when he saw it was her.

"Finally," He muttered. "I've been worried."

He jumped off the table, and stood there. She walked over to him.

"Sure you have," She muttered, sarcastically. She crossed her arms. Lindsay looked more angry than usual. She obviously had a problem.

"You okay?" Draco asked, softly. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Fine," She muttered, being her usual angry self.

"I'm not stupid, you know," He said. "So, no need to treat me like I am."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. "I could have fooled you, right? Or, wait, I have a better one. _Well, you're doing a really good impression of it._ How's that one?"

"Pretty good, actually," She said, starting to smile. "I'm kind of jealous I didn't come up with that one myself. I guess you win."

She sighed, and sat down on the table. "I don't like this. I don't like being with you."

"I figured you didn't," Draco said, sitting down next to her. "But…?"

"I do like it…" She said, unhappily. Draco laughed, and she shot him a glare. He could tell that wasn't all that was wrong, but he didn't say anything. In the month they had been together, they had been tolerant of each other. They were becoming more sensitive to each other, and Draco had been the nicest he had ever been, taking Lindsay by surprise (and making her like her even more and she really didn't want to do that).

"But, I've decided that I'm going to quit my complaining and accept the fact that I want you," She said, sighing.

"No more complaining?" He asked, full of hope.

"Right. None of that. I'll try to be nicer, I guess. Although, if you say something stupid, I will insult you at will…" She said. She then turned her head and looked directly at Draco. "I think I want to make this work, too, and…that scares me…"

He couldn't help but grin. His charm, and his good looks had finally won. He took her hand, and stood up.

"Come on," He said. "We're going somewhere else, tonight."

Lindsay narrowed her eyes.

"Where?" She asked, standing up. He didn't answer, and started to walk, dragging her along. They walked without talking. Lindsay squinted her eyes and looked around as she was being pulled. After a couple of minutes, she realized where she was going.

"We're going to the Slytherin—we are, aren't we?" She asked. "No way. You're not getting me anywhere near the place where Slytherins sleep."

"Lindsay, my dear, it works a bit differently than in your petty Gryffindor tower. See, we may be cold all year round, but I'm a prefect, and I get…_special treatment._"

He led her to a dark, stone wall. He hesitated for a moment.

"Oh, what? Forget the password have you?" She said, impatiently. "Look, I don't care what it is. As long as it's not the _dark lord_ or anything like—"

As soon as she said the words, the stone wall opened. She shot Malfoy a look of disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding me…" She muttered to herself. Draco avoided eye contact. The two entered the Slytherin Common Room. It was as big as the Gryffindor's common room. Everything was dark, and damp though. The room was covered in black, green, and silver. He led her up the stairs, but she stopped.

"Wait. Won't the other boys in your dorm room realize I'm there?" She asked. Draco smirked.

"Like I said…I get special treatment…" He said. With a sigh, she realized what his special treatment was…

"You've got your own room, don't you?" She asked. His smirk grew larger and that obviously meant yes. They entered his room. She looked around, amazed that he was able to get all this space and treatment.

"You're a spoiled brat," She muttered to herself, although he heard the comment. Yet, he said nothing. "So, what's the point of all this?" She approached his bed, and noticed that he had a special blanket, and even sheets that were specially made for him. _'Unbelievable…'_

She sat, and became slightly jealous. His bed was quite comfortable.

"It's because of daddy that you get this stuff, isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah," He replied.

"But, he's in Azkaban now…so…doesn't Dumbledore take this stuff away or anything?"

"Well, maybe, he doesn't exactly know about everything in this room," Draco said, raising suspicion. "But anyway, I brought you here to…"

_'Wonderful…this sounds…' _Her thoughts were interrupted.

"…talk," He finished. She gave him a look of disbelief.

"Wow, you and all this talking. You've either become more sensitive, or are in love with the sound of your own voice," She said, wanting to avoid the talking.

"I think it's a little bit of both," He said, as he sat down next to her. "But, I wanted to talk to you about—"

"My father?" She said, tiredly. She knew this talk would come. She regreted the outburst, but she might as well get it over with. "His name was Robert Richmond…"

"Richmond? I think I've heard that name before," Draco said, trying to remember.

"Before You-know-who's fall, the Richmonds were a family known for practicing dark arts. Now, the Richmond family is examplified to those who ever think of betraying the Dark Lord. My dad was a Death Eater, but the Richmonds are now known as the traitors."

Draco stared in disbelief, his jaw gaping open.

"My father was quite happy to join the Death Eaters. He was quite young. In his twenties, actually. He was going to make his long line of ancestors proud. He married another pureblood. Her name was Gretchen. She was fimilar with the dark arts, but she wasn't into the scene of the Dark Lord. She was so entusiastic about that, although she believed he had the right idea but took it too far. Then, my parents, they were young idiots, and my mother became pregnant. She begged for my father to quit You-know-whos league, and concentrate on being a father instead of killing muggles and muggle-borns. He was afraid of quitting, but the aurors were close to catching his family, and he didn't want his unborn child to be raised in Azkaban. So, he quit in the most stupid way ever. He let the Dark Lord think that he was still on the side, but never did anything. Voldemort isn't stupid. I was born, but maybe a couple of months or so after that happened, my family was slaugthered by a Death Eater. I wasn't killed, but I believe I was present. I don't know why I was spared. The thing was Voldemort hated my father a lot. In order to keep the aurors away, he fed them secret information, and betrayed Voldemort, but I suppose _he _was too busy with propechies and other things to kill my dad."

Draco stared. That was insane. He remembered his dad mentioned that the Richmonds were a stupid pureblood family and they deserved to die. He had a sudden realization.

"Wait, who was the Death Eater that killed your father?" He asked. She looked at him. He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Hey, I should thank him, if he ever gets out of Azkaban. Imagine if he never had killed my parents, I'd be just like…Pansy Parkinson or…Blaise Zabini," She said, quietly, purposing leaving out the name of Draco.

"Is that why you hate Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord?" He asked.

"I hate Death Eaters because they support _him._ I hate them because they killed muggles and muggle borns. I hate them because my dad was one of them, and I can't imagine what I would have been if he were still alive. I hate them because my dad was killed by one of them," She said. "It's kind of interesting. I can't imagine life if I had been brought up to hate muggles, and to be fimilar with the dark arts and Voldemort. But I almost regret I didn't know my family. It doesn't matter. I mean, they were foul people. They had it coming to them, I suppose."

"So, what happened next?" Draco asked.

"Lucius didn't kill me. I was found a day later in my house full of dead people. I was then taken in by an interesting family. They were a married couple. They were both muggle-borns, but they were powerful. They had a son, but he was a bit of a squib. If my parents probably would have flipped if they saw who raised me. A couple of 'mudbloods' and a 'squib son'. They taught me about magic. Their son, who I consider my brother, didn't really care for the magical world. He was well aware. He and I went to muggle school. Then we got letters from Hogwarts. He had little magical power, and he decided he would remain in muggle school. I did the same, for one year. Then, I was curious. So, I went to Hogwarts in my second year. That's why I know so much about the muggle world. I was raised in it. But, I adopted their last name. They were my family. I didn't consider myself a Richmond, though. That stupid hat did…"

Draco stared. "What?"

"The Sorting hat. It recognized me as a Richmond. It told me that my whole family has always been in Slytherin. I told it that my Richmond name died the night they did. And it told me all the qualities I had for Slytherin and then asked me if I wanted to be a Slytherin. I said 'Hell no', and we know the rest…"

"Well, wow," Draco said, still processing it all. "That's an interesting life story."

"Maybe," She said. Then, she chuckled to herself. "This is ironic in a way, isn't this? You're dad killed my dad, my whole family, and now we're in a relationship. I wonder what Lucy would say if he knew that you were dating the daughter of the family of traitors. I'll have to ask him why he spared me as well."

"Don't talk about my dad like that," Draco snapped, sourly. Lindsay stared. "Sorry," He muttered, and then quickly spoke again. "You're right. It is pretty ironic… And my dad would flip, by the way…"

"Well, anyway, it's your turn," She said. Draco frowned.

"What?"

"It's time for your life story," Lindsay said, looking directly at him. He sighed.

"I was born to Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. I became the next generation of Malfoy, the family who was rich and everyone knew was into dark arts and had followed the Dark Lord. I was raised to believe in the Dark Lord, and that muggles and muggleborns were not as good as us purebloods and never would be. Half-bloods were never as good as purebloods, and so on. I've gotten everything I've ever wanted in life. I've always looked up to my father. He's…er…he was a powerful figure in the ministry, and he has power beyond that. I heard the story of Harry Potter. Our family has always resented him, but we've always had to act like everyone else and pretended we loved him for bringing down the Dark Lord. I disagreed… I met him on the train to Hogwarts my first year. I offered to be his friend. He chose Weasley over me… So, I decided to make his life a living hell. He was always Dumbledore's golden boy, and kept saving everyone, and kept getting all this attention. Of course, I was always there to make sure things were …difficult for him. Now that the Dark Lord has returned and my father's in jail, life's become interesting…" Draco said. "There you go."

"Well, that was fun," She said, sarcastically. "This has been great fun…" She stood up. "I should be off now."

"Right," He said, also standing off. It was kind of awkward. They realized how opposite they really were. He stood in front of her, leaned over, and kissed her. She kissed him back, and moments later they pulled away.

"Just one more question," Draco said, as she started to walk away. She stopped and looked back at him. "Why? Why even bother to have this with me?"

"Because," She said, simply. "Listen. I don't hate you because of your dad. I hate you because you're a stupid git. But, I also love you because you're…well, you, stupid git and all. I don't judge people by their parents. If I did, then I would think myself to be simply horrible. I'm the opposite of my parents, so I don't judge by family."

Draco smiled. She started off again. "Wait, one more thing."

"What?" She asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"You really love me?" He asked, a smirk creeping onto his face. She rolled her eyes and looked at him.

"Maybe, Malfoy," She replied, and then left.


	8. Eight: Harry Potter

A/n: Here's the next chapter. Oh, I've also decided to give the chapters names. Thanks reviewers. So, read, review, and enjoy. Hate's Just A Word 

Chapter EIGHT: Harry Potter

_"So in order for this potion to be successful, a man named…" _Snape's voice was so far off. It was getting further and further away. Lindsay tried to keep her eyes open. Well, maybe if she closed them for a bit, he wouldn't notice. She closed her eyes for maybe about two seconds. Then a note came flying into her head. She woke up, surprised, and grabbed the note. She read it over.

_Meet me in my room tonight… -Draco_

She was still very sleepy and didn't react to it. Suddenly, Snape swooped over.

"Passing notes, Ms. Caldwell?" Snape asked. Lindsay jumped, not aware of his presence until that moment. "Hand it over."

She sighed, and handed it to Snape. He would of course read it aloud. Draco's eyes widened, and he looked like he was going to panic. Lindsay was still tired, and didn't show the same reaction. She was calm, although she was slowly waking up.

"Meet me in my room tonight… Ah, this is from Mr…" Snape stared at the note and then looked back at Lindsay. He seemed taken aback by this suggestion. Was Mr. Malfoy, his favorite student, having a secret relationship with Ms. Caldwell, someone who he showed no talents in potions or in life? Lindsay wanted to laugh. That taken aback look was wonderful. Everyone in the class wanted to know who it was from.

"Er, Professor, if it helps, I don't think that note was meant for me…" She said. Snape stared down at her, waiting for her to continue. She tried to keep a straight face, but she wanted to laugh. "I think it was meant for uh… Mr. Potter, or uh…perhaps, Mr. Weasley. I think the sender…" She looked in the general direction of Malfoy's side of the room. "…might have missed his target…"

"Are you sure this wasn't meant for you?" Snape asked, wanting to believe the previous relationship, and not the new possibilities she just fed to him. He looked slightly bewildered. Was his favorite student having a relationship with a male? Not only that but students that he hated… _Priceless_ was the only thought in her head.

"Quite sure. I believe that you are aware with my relationship with the sender. We're not even friends. I'd rather avoid his room…actually."

"Very well," Snape said, coolly. He disposed of the piece of paper. "Oh, and five points from Gryffindor for sleeping in class."

_'Figures…' _She thought to herself. _'At least he didn't say Draco's name aloud. That would have been worse. I saved myself there…' _She looked over at Draco who let out a sigh of relief. She looked back, and listened to Snape talk, and learned to prefect the art of sleeping with open eyes. The bell rang, and Snape called out the homework.

"Also, would Mr. Malfoy please stay for a moment," He said. Lindsay secretly grinned. She might have gotten him in trouble with Snape of all people. Snape always gave Draco special treatment. He favored him. Lindsay hurried out of class so she wouldn't have to answer Ron's questions about the note. She was safe.

That night, she did meet him in his room. She had to use the stupid 'dark lord' password. It was typical of the Slytherins. She crept quickly up the stairs, and into his room. She opened the door, not bothering to knock. She feared knocking might attract attention.

"Oh, _fucker_!" She exclaimed, a little too loudly. There was Draco Malfoy, standing there, without a shirt. "Please, put some clothes on." She put her hand over her eyes, but she could see through her fingers. He was smirking, happily.

"Why?" He asked, innocently. "I sleep like this. Just pants are needed."

Lindsay could see he was wearing fancy silk pajama pants, probably a Malfoy family thing. He added with a wink, "Sometimes not even that…"

"Put some fucking clothes on, please," She said, bitterly.

"Why?" He asked, once more, clearly trying to annoy her.

"Because…"

"Is it because you find me too damn beautiful that it's blinding?" He asked. Oh, it was so annoying.

"Yes! That's exactly it!" She said, almost in a shout, of course, sarcastically. "So, let's get a shirt on."

"Nope," He said. He went and laid down on his bed. Lindsay sighed, frustrated, and removed her hand from in front of her eyes. She walked over.

"It's not that bad is it?" He asked.

"No, quite the opposite," She said, with a sigh. "You were quite right with your question."

"Thought so," He said, grinning. She smiled, weakly.

"Move over," She said to him. He moved over, and she sat down. After a few moments, she kicked off her shoes and she laid down, taking the space he made. She stared up at the ceiling. "I wonder if anyone figured out…"

"Oh, potions class," Draco said. For the first time, he said 'potions class' as if it were a bad thing. That was normally his favorite class. "You're terrible. That was horrible what you did to me! No, nobody figured it out, but Snape… Snape gave me a long …talk…after class."

"Ooh, this sounds good. About what?" She asked.

"_Mr. Malfoy, you have always been a favorite student of mine, and you have expressed to me that you think of me as your favorite teacher. I am quite concerned what Ms. Caldwell expressed to me in class. Is this true that you directed the note towards Potter? Or perhaps Weasley?_" Draco started, reciting what had happened. Lindsay laughed. "That's not all. He didn't even give me a chance to answer. _Well, I know you must be having difficult times with your current situation. You are a …teenage boy…and it's natural for you to be curious about your sexuality, but I would advise to stay away from Potter or Weasley…"_

"He accused you of being…oh, whoa. Priceless. I wish I was there…" She said, happily.

"Ha, ha. Yeah, it was all fun," Draco muttered sarcastically.

"Well, at least I saved us," She said, and looked over at him. "Only an _idiot_ sends over a note in front of Snape, telling a girl to go to his room, and signs his name."

He looked away, reddening. "Fine, I'm an idiot."

"That's what I like to hear… the truth," She said, smiling.

"I'm a sexy, shirtless idiot," He then said. "Is that truth enough for you?"

"It does suffice," She said, laughing. "But seriously, why sign it?"

"So you would know who it was from, naturally."

"Are you kidding me? I would know it to be from you. Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? If you don't sign the note, then I'll think it's from Crabbe or someone."

"It could happen," He said, smiling.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and then went back to looking at the ceiling. They talked about everything and nothing. They talked about things that weren't very serious. That was always better. Whenever they talked about serious things, they always ended up arguing. Once in a while, there would be silences. They weren't uncomfortable silences, but just a moment for them to relax and think. After a while, silence was the only thing that could be heard…

Lindsay opened her eyes. _'Wait, where am I?'_ She recognized the place. _'Oops, I must have dozed off while we were talking…for how long I wonder.'_ She looked over at Malfoy who also seemed to have dozed off.

"You awake?" She asked, softly. He opened his eyes.

"Yep," He replied. He had obviously been awake for quite a while. He didn't sound as if he just woke up. She yawned, and then sighed.

"Well, I guess sleeping in Draco Malfoy's bed qualifies me as the president of the DMOC…" She said, wearily. "Pity…"

"Honey, you've _always_ been the president."

"I'm going to have to disagree with that," Lins said. "I'd say Pavarti and Lavender could give me a run for that position…"

Draco made a face. "I prefer you…"

She smiled, and wiped her eyes. "What time is it?"

Draco pointed to the window. "A bit past sunrise…"

Lindsay's eyes widened. "Sunrise? Already? We slept all night…"

She sat up, and put her feet on the floor. She grabbed her shoes, and started to put them on.

"Leaving, already?" He asked, tiredly, followed by a yawn. She finished, and stood up. She straightened her shirt, tie, and vest, and then her skirt.

"I've been wondering why you always wear a skirt," He said, turning onto his side. "It's the end of January, and it's freezing. Everyone else is wearing pants."

"I don't know. I've always worn skirts, I suppose. I used to play tennis all the time. Just used to them, I guess," She said. Draco figured tennis was a muggle thing. She walked over to Malfoy, bent over, and kissed him. They broke away, and she went off. Draco rolled over onto his other side, and closed his eyes with smile on his face.

Lindsay was worried. Usually, Hermione or one of the other girls was awake. They would notice that she was gone, and then be surprised when she walked in wearing yesterday's clothes. She told the fat lady the password and hurried in, quietly. She crept up the stairs and took a deep breath before entering her dorm. Everyone still seemed to be asleep. She hurried, grabbed a change of clothes, and practically ran out of the room. She then carried on as usual, with showering, and was quite happy no one noticed. When she went back, Hermione was awake. She was _always _awake earlier than everyone else.

"'ello Hermione," She said, quietly, after coming back.

"Hello," Hermione said. "You're up earlier than usual."

"Couldn't…er…go back to sleep after I had woken up. It was sunrise and the light was annoying…" Lindsay said. Hermione nodded with understanding. After a while, the girls started to wake up. She went to breakfast, earlier than usual. She was one of the few alone at the Gryffindor table. There wasn't any food yet, so she put her head down, and closed her eyes. After a while, she could hear the footsteps. The Great Hall was filling up.

"Oy, Caldwell, you alive?" Someone asked, poking her. She lifted her head slightly to see Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom hovering over her.

"Yeah. Alive," She mumbled. They shrugged, sat down, and proceeded to have a conversation with each other. Not too long later, her name was being called again.

"Psst, Caldwell…" She lifted her head and looked at the boys around her. It wasn't Seamus or any of them. "Psst…" She realized the voice came from behind her…from the Slytherin table. She wearily, turned around to see that Malfoy was sitting nearby.

"Yeah?" She asked, indifferently.

"How did you sleep last night?" He asked, with a smirk on his face. She remained calm, without any expression.

"I've had worse nights," She said, expressionless and unfazed.

"Is that so?" He asked, smirking. He could be so _immature _sometimes.

"Malfoy, leave her alone for once," Said a voice from behind Lindsay. She turned to see Hermione. She stood there with her hand on her hip, looking a bit angry.

"Sorry, was I talking to you?" Draco asked, glaring.

"I don't think you should make her angry," Lindsay said. "I heard she hits pretty well."

Draco reddened with anger and embarassment. "I don't care what _she _says. She is a filthy mudblood after all."

Seamus, Dean, and Neville stopped talking and turned to watch. Slytherins were also paying attention hoping that Draco would do some damage. He gave Lindsay a challenging look. She just stared at him. Everyone watched in silence, ready for some kind of fight or duel. Seamus was especially anxious for a fight. It must have been totally silent for about two minutes. Lindsay finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, by this time, I've thought about a million and one comebacks and insults made especially for you, but I'm not in the mood. Maybe later, perhaps," She said. Everyone stared, jaws dropped. Draco was among the ones who stared. Lindsay just turned around and the food started to appear.

"It shut him up," Hermione said, quietly. Lindsay nodded and began to eat. The first class they had that day was Potions. Lindsay was there pretty early than she usually was. She walked past Pavarti, Lavender, Seamus, and Dean in their seats and happened to hear a very interesting conversation.

Seamus turned around and glared at Lavender and Pavarti.

"Will you two shut up about that git?" He asked with his Irish accent.

"Oh, but he's so pretty," Lavender said, with that far off look on her face.

"Yeah, that's what he wants you to think. I bet he's hideous underneath," Seamus said. Lindsay dropped something, and listened to the conversation, but she could also see Snape looming near, also listening to the conversation, hoping to take points off Gryffindor.

"Ooh, you mean shirtless?" Pavarti asked. She and Lavender looked at each other before giggling.

"Ew, no," Seamus said. "But even so, I bet the rest of him is nothing."

Lindsay stood up, picking up what she had 'dropped' and looked at the group.

"Actually, he's perfect all around. Shirtless and all," She said to them, of course, with a scheme in mind. The four looked at her, with disbelief.

"How would you know?" Seamus asked, frowning. Lavender and Pavarti giggled.

"Oh, heard it from someone…" Lindsay said, innocently.

"From who?" Lavender asked. Lindsay tried to keep a straight face, and tried her best not laugh. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Snape listening to every word.

"Harry Potter," She replied, and then walked away. The group went silent. Snape got that funny look on his face that she loved. It was another wonderful look in potions class. A couple minutes later, after the shock settled down, Snape took away points from Gryffindor for 'no reason'. She knew that would be spread around the school within the day. Lavender and Pavarti would be sure to take care of that. That was Lindsay's revenge. Snape spent the whole class trying to irritate her and treat her unfairly, instead of Neville. She got points off for the littlest thing, but it was quite worth it.

---

The two met in a different place than usual. It was some empty classroom. They liked variety. Lindsay was there first, which was unusual. She sat on a long windowsill, much like those at her old muggle schools, and looked out the nearby window. It was a narrow window, but she could see the moon through it. She put her feet up on the long windowsill and leaned against the supporting part of the wall. She stared out at the night. It wasn't cloudy at all. She could see the moon and the stars. She tried to find constellations she learned from Astronomy, but she could only find one.

Lindsay heard the door open, and looked over. Draco Malfoy quietly entered the room. She moved her legs off the windowsill and they once again dangled off. Draco walked over to her, and sat down next to her.

"Hey," She said to him, in a better mood than usual. Draco, on the other hand, had a scowl on his face. She frowned. "What's wrong?" She wanted to laugh. She knew exactly what was wrong, but it was much more fun to pretend that she didn't.

"Today, Blaise Zabini asked me if I was gay. I don't know where or how he got this idea, but he heard it somewhere. I, of course, told him no. He didn't believe me and told me that I wasn't alone…" Draco said, as if some tragedy took place. Lindsay wanted to laugh so bad. It was hilarious.

"Aw, I'm so sorry," She said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Why would he think that… ever?"

"Apparently, someone, and when I say someone I mean _you_, started a rumor that Harry was my secret lover or something," He said, as he turned to glare at her. She grinned.

"Caught," She said. "But, I never said that Harry was your secret lover. I simply said that you were very good looking when you were shirtless, and that Harry told me. Lavender and Pavarti assumed you were secret lovers. So, what have we learned here?"

"Never to call Granger a mudblood in front of you…" He mumbled, bitterly. He looked at her, still glaring. "Sometimes, I wonder who's the Slytherin here."

"What can I say? It's in my blood," She said, as if it were an excuse for being mean. Draco rolled his eyes, but Lindsay remained with a grin on her face. She put her arm around Draco's shoulder, and pulled him closer. "You're so overdramatic…"

"Am not," He mumbled. "But, I think a little …snogging… can cure that."

"Isn't that convenient? Snogging just happens to cure everything," She said, sarcastically. He turned and looked her in the eyes. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. She kissed him back. She moved and leaned against the wall. She put her legs on the windowsill, and Draco moved and positioned himself over her. They began to kiss more and more. She put her left hand on his neck, and ran her right hand through his blonde hair. He put his hand on her thigh, and realized that skirts were a good thing. He pulled away for a second.

"Have I ever mentioned that I really appreciate the fact that you wear skirts in cold weather?" He asked, grinning. She grinned back. They kissed once again. A little while later, Draco stopped again. He pulled back and stared into her eyes. She stared back, but in a confused way. She didn't say anything, though, she just waited.

"I want to tell you something. Well, wanted to, and for a long time," He finally said, in a whisper.

"Oh, yeah, what's that?" She asked.

"Well, I love you. I have for a while actually. A long while…I guess hate is the only way I know how to express myself…" He said, quietly. She looked unfazed, but smiled.

"I know," She said. "Since that very first kiss, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Draco said, with a small nod. "You, too?"

She rolled her eyes. "You need to ask. You're the one who figured out that we wanted each other."

"I know," He said, quite proud of himself. Instead of kissing her again, Draco leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder. She took her hands, and put one on his back, and used the other one to stroke his hair. Being together was nice in a way neither of them could describe.

The next night, they returned there, and did as they did the night before, in the same position. Yet, that night was different. Neither of them knew that a friend was watching them. It started that potions class a few days before.

Harry was quite bored. Snape just went on and on. Ron was sleeping next to him, and he wasn't alone. About half the Slytherins, and half the Gryffindors were sleeping. Suddenly, Snape was hovering over Lindsay and confiscated a note. She made up some story about how the note wasn't for her, but he couldn't hear well. He did hear his name though. The thing that Snape didn't do, was tell who the note was from. Harry wouldn't have known, but Snape gave it away when he asked Draco to stay after class for a moment. Harry seemed to be the only to catch onto this. Not even Hermione noticed.

Harry was slightly curious who was going to meet Draco in his room that night. That night, he took out the Marauder's Map, and watched. He was quite confused, and horrified to see that it was indeed the receiver of the note that meet him night. Of course, it _had_ to be a mistake. She hated him with a passion. But the map never lies. So, he watched the next night. They met up again, but in a different place. It was insanity. Maybe it was a fluke of some kind between them. Yet, tonight, they were in some random classroom, together. He had to see it for himself. He _had _to. He took the map and his wand as he crept out of bed. He followed the map and it led him to a classroom. He muttered 'Mischief Managed' and the map went blank. Harry stared at the door before proceeding to open it. He took a deep breath, put his hand on the doorknob, and turned.

He dropped his jaw, map, and wand and stared, absolutely horrified. It might as well have been Voldemort there. The shock was about the same. There was Draco and Lindsay, sitting there, snogging. The two heard the sound of the dropped items, and quickly turned. They looked just about as shocked to see Harry as he was to see them. The two moved away from each other in a matter of seconds. They straightened up, and Lindsay was blushing.

"Harry, what the hell are you doing here?" She asked. Harry walked over to them and stared. He looked from Draco and then to Lindsay, and then back again. They had separated, and were sitting quite a ways from each other.

"You…and you…" He said, sounding horrified, and a bit angry. "What is…why…Oh god, I'm not even sure I want to know." He was silent for a second, but spoke again, this time looking at Lindsay. "You _hate _him. You've told me countless times that you hate him. Why are you two…snogging… like there's no tomorrow?"

They silent for a moment. Lindsay looked at Draco. "You explain."

He sighed, but decided to take the task. "Well, you see, it began with that fight…"

He went on for about five minutes, briefly explaining what happened. Harry still had that horrified and angered look on his face. "I can't believe this…"

"What?" Lindsay said, speaking up, getting sick of that look. "Come on. It isn't _that_ big of a deal."

He stared as if she were insane. Okay, she knew it was a big deal. Probably just like how it was when everyone found out that Harry and Draco were friends. Plus, she had just accepted the relationship the night before.

"No, he has the right to be this shocked," Draco said. He looked at Lindsay. "Imagine if you walked in on…I don't know…Harry and I…What would you do and say?"

She looked away, mostly because that was a bad example. She wouldn't mind walking in on Harry and Draco. And, truthfully, the longer they didn't notice her, the better. She didn't say this of course, but Draco knew what she was thinking.

"Okay, bad example," He muttered.

"Alright, Harry, I understand that this is a bit…crazy," Lindsay said to him. "But, please, you _can't_ tell anyone!" Harry looked over at her. "Not a single person."

He didn't say anything. "I mean, I thought the map might be joking, but it's true that you guys are together…"

"Map?" Draco and Lindsay asked in unison. Harry realized what he had said.

"Wait, you have a map that can tell where people are?" Lindsay asked.

"That's not the point," Harry argued.

"You can spy on people? You know where everyone is in the school?" She asked. "That's a disturbing kind of invasion of privacy."

"So, how long?" Harry asked, changing the subject, rapidly.

"Maybe a month and a half," Draco replied.

"_That _long?" Harry asked, not able to accept this. Could things get any crazier?

"Long? Hardly," Lindsay muttered.

"But you two…You get into fights almost everyday. You insult each other every chance you get, and… you seem like you hate each other," Harry said, confused.

"That's just for appearances," Draco said. At the same time, Lindsay was saying, "That's what I like to do…"

He looked at her and she just smiled with look that claimed guilt.

"But, Harry, you have to promise that you won't tell anyone. Okay?" Lindsay said, getting back to the serious matter. "Especially, Ron."

Harry didn't respond. Draco stood up and walking in front of him. "Okay, mate?"

Harry sighed. "Okay. I promise I won't tell anyone. In fact, .I'll forget it even happened."

"Good idea," Lindsay said. "Well, I think that this is probably one of the most awkward moments of my life, so I'm going to discreetly leave."

She hurried out of the room. Harry stood there, dumbfounded. Draco stood with him for a few moments.

"You know, I think you better be alone for this," Draco said. He left Harry alone, and headed back to bed.


	9. Nine: Valentine's Day

A/n: Thanks for the reviews! I got a lot, so I decided to update. I'll probably update again in a couple of days. I'm having lotsa insipiration. To _LikeIcareabtU,_ there may be some Lucius… heheh. Everyone, read, review, and enjoy. This chapter was fun to write.

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter NINE: Valentine's Day

A couple of weeks went by, and it was well into the month of Febuary. It took a Harry a long while to get used to it. He kept to his word, and didn't tell anyone. But for the first week, he couldn't do anything but give them weird stares and looks. Harry got used to it, well not entirely used to it. There would be times when he still couldn't believe it at all. They feared it would take him as long as it took them to get used to it. Perhaps, even longer. They kind of felt bad for him.

But meanwhile, Draco and Lindsay's relationship was becoming stronger. They were more comfortable around each other. They knew practically everything about each other. Both had accepted that they loved each other. They both still fought everyday, although, to keep up appearances as Draco said. They never ceased to have a good, loud argument or a physical fight. It was something that became sort of a thing linked with them. If they didn't have a fight, people would either get suspicious or know that something was wrong.

Lindsay hadn't spent much time with Ron anymore. She couldn't really bear to be around Harry anymore because he would always give her this one look no matter how normal or casual they tried to be. She really hadn't been friends with them in the first place. It only happened because of the trouble Malfoy caused. One day, Ron came to her with a problem. She was in one of the chairs of the Common Room, reading a book.

"Hey, Lindsay," He greeted her. She looked up, surprised, but happy to see Ron.

"Ron, it's been a while," She said, putting her book down.

"Yeah, sorry about that," He said.

"No problem," She said. "So, what's up?"

"I've got a problem and I was kind of looking for a girl's opinion," Ron said, avoiding eye contact as he was growing red.

"Okay," She said, and waited.

"Well, as you know, tomorrow is Valentine's Day," He said. She froze. What? Tomorrow was Valentine's Day? When did this happen? She hadn't given the thought to Valentine's Day… "…And I'm not sure whether to give…er…this girl…flowers, or chocolate…What do you think is better?"

"Ron, you should do both. It pleases a girl, if you do both. Make sure the flowers are red roses. They symbolize love," She advised.

"Er…well, the thing is, I don't have enough money," He said, looking down at the floor as he spoke. Lindsay looked at him, with sympathy.

"Oh," She said. "Well, you can borrow money from me."

"Oh, no, I couldn't," He said.

"Oh, you could. I don't need it. Your need is greater than mine," She said. She stood up.

"Thanks," Ron said, still embarrassed. She went upstairs to the dorms, and grabbed a few of galleons. She came back down and handed them to Ron.

"Here," Lindsay said to him. "You should get a special box of chocolates or something that will spell out her name… or something romantic."

"Thanks," Ron said, once again. "I really can't thank you enough."

"It really is no problem," She said, as she sat back down. "Hermione will love them…"

Ron looked at her, taken aback. Lindsay quickly spoke. "I mean, whoever…"

Ron grinned, thanked her once more, and went off to order things. She was left to think. Valentine's Day… Draco was sure to try something that he considered romantic and he was definitely going to be public. She might have to give him some bruises if he did such a thing. What a troubling holiday. She was afraid of what he was going to do that day, but there was nothing she could do about it. She would just have to wait and see. She picked up her book, and started reading it.

A little later, she had fallen asleep reading.

The next day, she was being poked by someone's wand.

"'ey, Caldwell, you awake?" She heard a familiar Irish accent. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Seamus and Dean were standing over her. She seemed to be the same chair she was yesterday. She must have dozed off.

"Yeah," She mumbled, sleepily.

"Well, you better hurry and get ready," Dean said.

"Ready?" She asked, with a yawn.

"It's already breakfast," Seamus said. Her eyes widened.

"Lovely," She muttered sarcastically. She got up, pushed past them, and hurried to get ready. She quickly took a shower, got dressed, and had to skip breakfast. On her way toHistory of Magic, she realized that today was _that_ day. There had to be some way to avoid a scene with Malfoy. Well, playing sick would be one way, but that wouldn't be successful. History of Magic was boring as usual. For once in forever, she paid attention instead of sleeping. She wasn't tired. She slept the whole night in the chair. The class went on for what seemed like a long time. Then it ended…

Lindsay walked to her next class with caution. Who knew when Malfoy was going to jump out and do something odd? Luckily, he didn't appear and she had her next class in peace. Lunch came. She was quite nervous, but she damn hungry. She went to lunch, and sat in the midst of people who were much taller than her. Lunch was the first exposure she had to Valentine's Day. She saw people from other houses, walking to other tables and exchanging chocolates and flowers. It was a light feeling around, but Lindsay was still in vigilance mode.

Harry came and sat next to her. She was taken by surprise.

"Having fun?" He asked her, sounding a bit unhappy.

"Not really," She replied. "You?"

"Well, I've received a bunch of valentines from a lot of people I don't know…" Harry said. It happened every year. He was the boy-who-lived and people fancied that. "And…I've given Ron and Hermione some time alone."

"Oh, was Ron successful?" Lindsay asked, curiously.

"Quite," Harry said. He narrowed his eyes. "You knew?"

"He just asked for some advice, is all," She said. "Oh, but you shouldn't be down. I'm sure you'll get together with someone."

"I don't really care…" Harry said. He then looked at Lindsay straight in the eyes. "So, has you-know-who…"

"Nope, and hopefully he won't," Lindsay said, quietly. Harry raised an eyebrow. "You see, Harry, the thing with secret relationships is the part that is _secret_. You know that Malfoy loves to annoy me, so he'll pull some stunt. It's in his nature…"

Harry looked around. "He isn't here right now."

Lindsay looked over at the Slytherin table. Harry was right. He wasn't around. She was safe for a little while more. Lunch ended, and Lindsay blended in with the crowd. She realized her next class contained Malfoy in it. This was very, very bad. She blended with a group of Gryffindors. Yet, it was no use. She heard the very voice she had been dreading all day.

"Oy, Caldwell!"

She stopped suddenly, and fear began to rise in her. _'Okay, stay calm.' _Unfortunately, _all _of the Gryffindors just _had_ to stop because they were curious. She held her wand in hand and turned around to face him. He walked up to her. He was a bit taller than her, but it didn't matter. She looked up at him, and stared at him straight in the eye.

"Hello there, Caldwell," He said looking straight at her. By now, the Slytherins and Gryffindors were all watching.

"Get away from me," Lindsay hissed, raising her wand.

"Ooh, not very friendly," He said with a smirk. "Relax, I'm just…"

"I know, and now _is not_ the time," She said, glaring. "Now, go away, or I'll have to curse you."

"Crabbe," Draco called. Crabbe walked over to him, carrying his book bag. He held it out for Draco. Draco reached in and pulled exactly what she feared he would. A single rose, attached to a card that _happened _to be flashing brightly with annoying messages. She stared at it. Everyone stared at it. Lavender and Pavarti were giggling from behind her. Pansy put her hand on her hip, and muttered a sound of jealousy and anger. Draco was smirking, or maybe grinning. Lindsay couldn't tell. Her stare was fixed on the rose and the annoying glowing messages. _Caldwell, be mine. I love you. Draco is sexy and you know it. _She looked from him and then to the rose, and then back to him, and then back to the rose. The bell rang, and no one moved. It was silent. Lindsay _had _to do something. She didn't want to get everyone in trouble. _'Maybe, I should have a heart attack. Or maybe tackle him to the ground…and punch him, of course.'_ Instead, she put her wand away, extended her hand, grabbed the rose, stuffed it into her bag, and proceeded to class. It was Defense of the Dark Arts. The only people in there were Ron, Harry, and Hermione. She sat down in her seat, and buried her head in her hands.

"_It _happened, didn't it?" Harry asked her. She moved her hand to signify 'yes'. A minute later, the rest of the class came into the room. She could feel them staring at her. She raised her hand and waited for the professor to call on her. He was kind of weirded out by the whole class's lateness.

"Yes, Ms. Caldwell?" He asked her.

"I'm not feeling too well. May I go to the hospital wing?" She asked him. He studied her for a second. It was true that she looked perfectly healthy.

"Did your boyfriend break up with you? I got that excuse last class," He said to her. She stared.

"What? No. What does that have to do with anything? I don't feel well," She said to him.

"Nice try," He said. She muttered some curses under her breath as he proceeded to teach. Everyone was staring at her and it was absolutely unbearable. Draco picked the perfect moment to torture her. There was only one thing to do. She took out a piece of paper and started to write a note.

Remember that discussion we had a while ago involving a four-letter word with letter L at the beginning of it. Yeah? Well, I take back everything I said.

She folded it and sent it over, with a wave of her wand. He received it, unfolded it and read it. He gave her a look, and then proceeded to write back. Everyone was watching the two. A second later, she received his response.

Overreacting, much?

She stared at the note, and then took out another piece of paper to write back.

What part of secret do you **not **understand?

She sent it back, and he immediately read it and responded.

A lot of it. Why don't you explain it to me in person, perhaps?

She stared at the note and back at Malfoy, who was smirking. Suddenly, a perfect idea popped into her head. It was priceless. She got out a new piece of paper and wrote down a message. She folded it up and prepared to send it. She had to wait for the right moment.

"So…what was it's purpose?" The professor asked, turning around. She sent it at that instant to Malfoy. The Professor, of course, saw it. He looked at Lindsay.

"Note passing, Ms. Caldwell?" He asked. She just smirked, and gave a shrug. He walked over to Malfoy and snatched the note from his hand. He opened it and read it aloud.

"Sorry, I don't date virgins," The Professor read. He casted a strange look at Lindsay. The whole class burst out laughing. Malfoy turned red with anger and embarrassment. He shot a glare at Lindsay, who felt quite satisfied. "That's…er…lovely to know, Ms. Caldwell. Anyway, five points from Gryffindor," He said, but nobody cared. They were quite amused with the note. Lindsay got her revenge. After class, they had another showdown. This one proved to be amusing. Lindsay walked out of class and started to her next class. Yet she heard his voice from behind.

"You think you're funny Caldwell?" Draco asked, angrily. He was probably really pissed off at her. She didn't care. It never lasted. She turned around. Draco was rushing up with his group of Slytherins.

"Yes, I think I'm quite amusing, actually," She replied, crossing her arms. He was glaring. He moved closer and bent down, so only she could hear his words.

"I bet you wouldn't say that if I accidentally let it slip that we've been, well, you know," He whispered. She looked at him, his face was inches away.

"Go ahead, Malfoy. I know dozens of things about you that I can accidentally let slip," She said. "Or better yet, would you rather have the president of your club resign?"

"You're serious, aren't you?" He asked, coolly.

"Not a game, anymore. You made it that way," Lindsay said, just as bitter. Everyone was watching, waiting for something to happen.

"It's your fault for being such a—why can't you just act like a Gryffindor for once? You are a good guy, right?" He said, quietly. She stared for a good amount of time.

"Fine, you want a good guy?" She muttered. This was going to be self-destruction, but it might be worth it. She stepped back from Draco, and took a deep breath. "You're right, Draco. Thank you for the rose. I'm flattered that you would choose me to be your Valentine."

Everyone's jaws dropped, even Draco himself. She said the statement loudly for everyone to hear. She was doomed already, she might as well go a little further. She stepped closer, and hugged him. She could hear everyone gasping, and Ron having a heart attack. 'Oh, this is too much.' She thought to herself. She quickly let go and stepped back. She prepared to raise her voice.

"But, my answer still holds true, Malfoy," She said, loudly. Everyone watched closely. "I don't date…well, you know."

He didn't frown, glare, or lash out at her. Instead, he chuckled to himself. She gave him a quick smile before walking away. That was surely the most memorable moment on Valentine's Day for everyone. Even people who didn't see it thought it to be memorable. Seamus later congratulated her for 'getting him good'. Harry, who was nearby, laughed at that. Only he knew the truth, and for him, it was extra amusing.

Lindsay and Draco officially had their first real fight and it was resolved within the moment it started. That night, they celebrated. They met in that classroom. Lindsay was there first, and when Draco entered she was surprised. Not because he showed, but because he had things with him. He put his things down, and sat down across from her. She stared. With a wave of his wand, things began setting themselves up. There were two glasses, and pitcher of something pouring some beverage into the classes. Draco picked up his glass.

"Congratulations," He said. She gave her a weird look. "We had our first fight, and I think that's worth celebrating."

Once again, she gave him a look. He looked at her, waiting for her to pick up her glass. She did so, slightly apprehensive. He tapped his glass against hers and began to drink. She watched him, sighed, and then did so herself. She didn't exactly know what she was drinking, but it had a new taste. It wasn't that bad, actually. She drank her whole glass, and poured some more. She continued drinking it. After her ninth glass, she stopped to actually think. 'Wait a second. This drink is from Malfoy, who was quite angry with me earlier… I shouldn't be drinking this.'

"Okay, nice try, Draco," She said, putting her glass down. "What did you do to this? What's going to happen to me? It's not poison, is it?"

He laughed. "I didn't do anything. It's just wine."

"Wine, eh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Trying to get me drunk so you can…I don't know…seduce me or something?"

"I think you already are," He said, laughing, finding this quite amusing. "You haven't ever had wine before, have you?"

"No," She said.

"Oops," He said, still with a laugh. "Should have asked you beforehand. Oh well. How many glasses have you had?"

"Dunno. Nine, maybe," She mumbled.

"Oh. Okay, yes, drunk," He said, slightly alarmed. He took her glass away and bewitched the rest of the wine away.

"So, are you going to seduce me or what?" She asked, tiredly.

"No, I don't think so," Draco said, smiling.

"Why not?" She asked, sounding disappointed.

"Because this is much more fun," He replied. She was mostly aware, and wasn't entirely drunk, but then she would have moments when she would say something that would make him burst out laughing. After a while, she grew tired and rested her head on his lap. As soon as she put her head down, she was out. It had been terribly amusing, but now she was asleep. She looked peaceful. It was one of the only times he saw her without anger or frustration. She was at peace. He knew that would change when she woke up. She would know what had happened and get angry at him. For now, he would cherish her peacefulness.

He dozed off a couple of times, himself. Eventually, it was dawn, and time to wake her up, although she needed more sleep. He shook her a little.

"Hey, wake up," He whispered. She stirred, and opened her eyes. With a yawn, she rubbed her eyes to see Draco's face above hers. A look of confusion spread across her face. She realized that she had used him as a pillow, and sat up straight. Then the pain came to her head. She put her hand to head.

"Jeez, what a headache," She mumbled. She then tried to recall the night before. She then looked at Draco, glaring. "You! What did you do to me? The last thing I remember is you saying I was…" She paused and then avada-kedavra glared him. "You bastard!"

"I didn't mean to," He said. "How was I supposed to know you've never had wine before?"

"Maybe that was on purpose, Malfoy," She said. "Jeez, I only had a few glasses. What kind of wine is that?"

"My dad's wine," He replied. "Oh, and not a few. Nine."

"Nine? Dear god, I'm going to die," She said, with a troubled look.

"No, you won't die. My dad drinks it bottles at a time. You'll survive," He said. She just shot him a glare.

"I don't remember anything," She mumbled, unhappily. "And my head kills… To top it all off, I had a strange dream…" She stopped and looked at Malfoy. "I asked you 'Do you remember third year, the first Care of Magical Creatures class?' Then you said, 'Yeah, that stupid bird hurt me.' Then I said, 'It wouldn't have if you actually had listened to Hagrid, but you had to be a loser because you jealous of Harry.' Then you kind of frowned or something and said, 'What about it?' Then I laughed, and said, 'I remembered the way you whimpered and screamed...'" She paused for a second, and chuckled a bit. " '…I wonder, do you do that during sex?' And then you said, 'I guess we'll have to find out sometime.' It's actually quite hilarious." She looked at Draco's face and sighed. "Yeah, hilarious, except for the part that it actually happened. You're a stupid bastard."

He couldn't help but smirk. She just rolled her eyes, and hit him on his arm.

"God, my head hurts. I need to lay down," She mumbled. "I don't think I'll be going to first class. What is it today? Oh, Care of Magical Creatures…"

She stood up, still clutching her head. "I'll see you later then…"

"Goodbye, love. Oh, and I'll be sure to tell Hagrid that you're sick," He said, with a smirk on his face.

"Like I'd let you say anything to him. You'd say, nice and loudly, 'She was quite busy last night' with that stupid smirk on your face," She muttered. "No, I'll tell Harry or someone."

She left the room and headed back to the Gryffindor Tower. She entered the Common Room, but there was someone there. 'Great,' She thought. As she walked in, she could see it was just Harry. Harry looked surprised to see her there.

"What have you been doing all night?" Harry asked her, narrowing his eyes. She just rolled her eyes.

"Not that," She said. "Just sleeping…no, not together. I'm feeling kind of ill. Please tell Hagrid that I'm sick."

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Ask Malfoy," She said. "I'm going to lay down, and maybe, sleep…"

She went upstairs without another word, and passed out on her bed.


	10. Ten: A Real Fight

A/n: Hey guys. Another update. Read, review, and enjoy.

**Hate's Just A Word**

Chapter TEN: A Real Fight

"How do you feel about him?"

Lindsay was innocently working on her essay, when the very quiet Harry Potter sitting near her, suddenly asked her a surprise question. She was startled, and very taken aback.

"What?" She asked, although she heard it clearly the first time.

"How do you feel about him?" Harry asked her once more, his voice below a whisper.

"Malfoy?" She asked, very quietly. He gave a nod. She shrugged. "I don't know…"

Although, she knew perfectly well how she felt about him. She loved him. She sometimes didn't like to admit it, but she loved him. He loved her, as well. She treasured every single moment they spent together. Even if it was a fight in between class. She loved those moments along with laying with him as they talked or didn't talk.

"You looked pretty friendly that night," Harry mumbled.

"Why do you care anyway?" Lindsay asked, coolly, noticing that Harry was acting strange. He sighed and looked right at Lindsay.

"You can feel it, can't you? It's getting closer… You can feel the darkness can't you?" He asked, quietly. She looked down at her paper for a second, and then nodded. "You know about the relationship between him and I. I'm sure he's told you. It has helped you know. It's been easier to go on without having to worry about him being a prat, but you know it's going to end. It'll be soon…"

She sighed. It would be hard, but she knew that time would come. "Harry, I want you to know, I'm on your side. In the end, I'll always be on your side."

He stared at her for a second, and gazed directly at her. His eyes lit up for a moment and he read her, almost as if he was an experienced legilimens.

"You love him?" He asked with a tone of disbelief in his voice. She sighed, and did not answer.

"Harry, I think it's time we have a talk…" She said. She told him what she had told Malfoy some nights ago. She told him the truth about her pureblood family, and what had happened. And, then they finally had a moment of understanding. Both had lived through a terrible attack on their families, and yet survived. Both of them had lived, and both of them…wanted revenge.

The following morning, Lindsay had been rather weary. She had missed Malfoy that night because she was quite busy finishing her essay for Potions. It was a last minute thing, and Malfoy was pretty much the reason that she wasn't finished with it yet. She tried to force something into her mouth at breakfast, but didn't really care for eating. She was exhausted. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long while. It was mostly worth it, seeing as she was spending time with Malfoy, but it had been killing her.

The Gryffindors around her were chatting happily about the day ahead, and the day before, and everything they normally did. She couldn't hear anything they were saying. She was too out of it to even care that everything was muffled. Her eyes wandered upon the Slytherin table, as they did every so often. Her gaze rested upon a familiar blond boy, but today didn't prove to have the happiest sight. She saw Pansy Parkinson trying to get quite friendly with him. She had her hand on top of his hand, and her other hand was on his shoulder. She sat facing him, and was talking to the group around him. He didn't brush her hands off or anything, but he let it happen. Lindsay didn't think herself to be the jealous type, but after everything, she was starting become that type.

She felt more awake now and watched and glared as he didn't do anything. She knew that Pansy had always been a member of the DMOC, and a privileged one because he actually knew her. Yet, the president was not feeling very happy that Draco was letting this go on. 'It's just for appearances…just for appearances.' Yet, she knew she would have to pick a fight today. Not with Draco, though. Today her target would be Miss Pansy Parkinson. She never did like Parkinson. Well, she never did like Draco either, but that changed. She had a feeling she would always hate Pansy.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was first today. She spent the whole class glaring at Pansy, who was staring at Malfoy. She hated being the jealous girlfriend. Oh, well. It sounded like promising fun to start something with Pansy. Class was dismissed early that day because their professor did not feel too well. Pansy walked, hanging onto Draco, in front of her. She looked around for someone she could talk loudly too. She saw Lavender, Seamus, Pavarti, and Dean nearby. She mingled with them, innocently.

"'ey Lavender," Lindsay said. Lavender looked at her. Lindsay raised her voice. "How are you feeling about that? It seems that cow Parkinson has hooked up with Malfoy. You liked him right?"

Lavender looked at her and nodded in agreement. Fortunately, Pansy and Draco heard it. They stopped and looked back at the group of Gryffindors.

"Well, they deserved each other, don't they?" Seamus asked. Lindsay could have hugged him. It was the perfect comment.

"Yeah, they do. Gits coming together. I just hope one of them dies or something before they can get married and have kids. I mean, we don't want to see the offspring of a Malfoy and Parkinson. Might as well name their kid, the world's biggest git," Lindsay said. Lavender elbowed her, and Lindsay looked at her, pretending she didn't know that Malfoy and Pansy were staring. She gave a look towards the two, and Lindsay followed that look. She let a smirk appear on her face.

"Oh, here's the happy couple now," Lindsay said. She stepped forward from the group of Gryffindors and walked up to the two. Pansy was glaring, and Draco was simply staring. She put her hands on their shoulders and smirked.

"Congratulations, you two," She said. Pansy jumped back.

"Don't touch me! You're a mudblood, aren't you?" She shrieked. Lindsay smirked.

"Oh, what? Didn't dearest Draco tell you that I'm a pureblood?" Lindsay asked, innocently, her hand still on his shoulder. He continued to stare, and remained quiet. "He knows quite about me, actually. I think he's a tad bit obsessed. Yeah. I hope you're not jealous."

Draco opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it.

"You're just jealous that he likes me and not you!" Pansy shouted. Lindsay laughed.

"Hardly, Parkinson, hardly. I have no interest in him. Have him. I wish you the best of luck. Gits really do belong together," She said. She took her hand from Draco's shoulder. He looked at her for a bit.

"You're insane," He mouthed, quietly. She smiled and nodded. She should have stopped there, but the Slytherin in her just needed to continue. She needed to go on, just as they always did.

"I think you should name your son, Lucius," Lindsay said. "That's a lovely name for…well, the son of gits."

That's when Draco unexpectedly snapped. "I disagree, Caldwell," He said, suddenly, taking her by surprise. "I think Robert takes the name of the world's biggest git."

She stared. That was a slap to her face. Had another one of their fights gotten real? The Slytherin in him became more and more fierce.

"Or, if it's a girl, how about Gretchen?" He asked. Whoa, another slap. He was going too far. Of course, no one had any idea what they were talking about. All, except Harry who didn't know whether this fight was real or not.

"I think Narcissa would be more suitable for a girl, actually," Ronald Weasley, said stepping forward. Draco looked past Lindsay and at Ron. He had a taken aback look. He looked as if he wanted to bash Ron's head in, but Harry was standing right next to Ron. He would do nothing. Luckily, Pansy wasn't friendly with Harry.

"Shut up, you blood traitor!" Pansy yelled. "Why don't you go to your mudblood girlfriend? You a muggle lover, just like your dirt poor, father?"

Half of the Gryffindors raised their wands and started jeering. In response to this, the Slytherins raised their wands. Pansy was about to use a spell. Lindsay grabbed her wand and pointed it at Pansy.

"Silencio!" She shouted. Pansy did not complete her spell. Her voice was gone. "Luckily, she isn't gifted enough to have mastered nonverbal spell use."

The other Slytherins were about to curse her and hex her. Draco raised his hand.

"Don't," He hissed. They looked confused, but lowered their wands. Everyone watched carefully. "Caldwell, and I will settle this."

Harry was sure this wasn't an act anymore. They both turned insane and they were going to fight. He wanted to step forward, but he was afraid that Lindsay would hex him. She was responding to what was in her blood…her family's blood.

Everyone reluctantly lowered their wands. Draco and Lindsay threw aside their book bags, and got out their wands. They both stood in front of each other, with their wands out. They didn't bow as they were supposed to. Instead, they just turned and took their steps.

"1…" Draco stared.

"2…" Lindsay said. She knew Draco well enough. She turned as he turned.

"Impedimentia!"

"Expellia—" He was thrown across the hall and into a bunch of Slytherins before he could finish the spell.

"Lindsay, you're mad," Harry called out from behind her. She turned, with her raised wand, and gave him a threatening look. By the time she turned around, Draco had already risen and he had yelled out a spell before she could even react.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco yelled. The spell hit her, instead of her hand, and she went flying back as he had. She believed he meant it to do this. She didn't even bother getting up.

"Tarantallegra!" She yelled, loudly. Draco dodged the spell and it ended up hitting Crabbe, who lost his balance and fell onto the floor. She stood up and they stared. She knew what he was going to do. He was going to do a nonverbal spell. He was going to do a dark spell. He raised his wand and concentrated.

"Protego!" She yelled in time. The spell did not reach her, whatever it was. It was time to end this. She raised her wand. "Expelliarmus!" His wand went flying out of his hands. He stared at her, slightly in shock. He had just been defeated. Yet, everyone was silent and were staring. She pocketed her wand and walked up to Malfoy. She stared up at him for a few moments.

"Well done," He said, quietly. "I bet your dear father will be pleased."

"So, which one were you going to use?" asked Lindsay, crossing her arms. "Which one of daddy's spells were you going to use? It's so typical of you. You see that you're failing, so you have to resort to one of the dark spells that Lucius taught you. I bet it was the Cruciatus Curse…"

"Oh, that one does cause pain," He said, very quietly. She doubted anyone else could hear him except her. "But I found a better one. How do you feel about blood?"

"Too bad it didn't work. Daddy won't be proud. Well, I doubt it matters from where he is. Although, I hear Azkaban can be nice."

"Shut up about my father," Draco snapped.

"Aw, that's cute. You wanna be just like daddy, don't you?" She asked, coldly. "Can't wait until you get the dark mark, and join the Death Eaters?"

"Well, consider this, Caldwell, or shall I say, Richmond, if it wasn't for my dear old dad, you would be dead," He hissed at her. She glared, and nervously glanced out of the corner of her eyes. No one had heard him.

"You agree with him, then? You believe that my family was just a bunch of blood traitors and deserved to die?"

"They shouldn't have betrayed the Dark Lord," He said, crossing his arms. Everyone could hear now, but they no longer cared.

"It was for me," She said, almost yelling.

"I don't see why you care. Aren't you glad they're dead? Didn't you say yourself that you wanted to thank him?" Draco asked. She stared in disbelief. How dare he say those things in front of all of these people? Harry realized what the conversation was about. "Yeah, you should thank him. You got to be raised by a couple of mudbloods and have a squib for a brother, you muggle-lover."

Harry stepped forward, and raised his wand. "Shut up, Malfoy."

Lindsay turned around in stared in disbelief. Draco was also unable to believe it. The truce was ended…

"Oh, that's right, Potter," He said coolly. "I bet you know all about having a mudblood as a parent, or rather, don't."

Harry was about to hex him and Lindsay was about to punch him, but they were both stopped. Suddenly, Professor Snape appeared.

"EVERYONE BACK TO YOUR COMMON ROOMS, IMMEADIATELY. POTTER, MALFOY, AND CALDWELL, COME WITH ME," yelled Snape. Everyone did as they were told and scurried off as fast as they could. Harry, Draco, and Lindsay followed Snape to his office. They all walked there in silence and sat there in silence. Snape walked behind his desk and stared at the three of them.

"So, the three of you have decided to cause a scene in the middle of the hallway," Snape said. "Draco, please, explain to me what happened."

"Well, Professor Snape, for some time now, Caldwell and I have been romantically involved in a relationship."

Everyone in the room turned and stared at Draco. Did he actually just reveal their secret to Professor Snape? Snape looked especially taken about, but he waited for Draco to continue.

"We both agreed that it would be a secret, and that we would both keep up appearances. That is why we constantly fight and argue. For a long while, Parkinson has fancied me, and sometimes, I cannot control that girl. It's really not my fault that she feels the need to be near me at all times. Of course, I would have let her on for a little while so she would not suspect me, which she has been for a long while. Yet, I wasn't going to choose her, as I'm…or rather…was already involved in a relationship. Yet, Caldwell decided she was jealous and thought I to be a traitor. She insulted Pansy and me, and then insulted my father. So, we fought in a duel. She won, and yet that wasn't enough for her. She started to insult my father, so I calmly insulted her back. Potter, here, decided to get involved, and then you showed up."

Lindsay and Harry were gaping at Draco, who had not only left out half the story but made himself to be a hero. Lindsay's eyes were starting to tear. Snape didn't care.

"Caldwell, what do you have to say for yourself?" He asked, coldly, sounding as if he were going to expel her.

"I'd have to say…" She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "…that my blood was getting a little excited. You know my story, Professor. You know that my family was murdered because they betrayed the Dark Lord." She put emphasize on those last words as if to imply something about Snape himself. "And thanks to Malfoy, so does everyone else."

"It was your fault for telling him," Snape said, coolly. She couldn't believe it. She stood up, as if she were going to attack.

"Sit down," Harry hissed at her. For once, he was being reasonable. Snape stood up as well, and stared her down. She took a deep breath and sat down.

"Now, for punishment," He said, and remained standing. "I think—"

Suddenly, someone opened the door and entered the room. It was Dumbledore.

"Ah, Professor Dumbledore," Snape said.

"I see you have the main troublemakers," Dumbledore said, behind his half-moon spectacles. "Have you punished them yet?"

"I was just about to," Snape said.

"Ah, well, I think fifty points from both Slytherin and Gryffindor will do," Dumbledore said. "And detentions for Ms. Caldwell and Mr. Malfoy."

"What about Potter?" Snape asked.

"From witnesses, I heard his involvement was minimal, and furthermore, he will be meeting with me. There is no need for you to punish him. I will take care of this," Dumbledore said.

"Very well," Snape said, sounding slightly annoyed. "Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Caldwell, you will report to me everyday of this week at nine o' clock sharp. Do not be late."

"Yes, sir," They mumbled. The three were dismissed. Lindsay went into the bathroom, locked herself into a stall, buried her hands in her head and started crying. How did it get that bad? She waited until their next class started to go back into the Gryffindor tower. She didn't want to be faced with any questions. She went into her dorm room, into her bed, and cried herself to sleep. She was awoken by Hermione at night.

"Hey," She said quietly. "I got your homework for you, um, just in case you wanted to do it, and er…get your mind off of things."

She took the things Hermione brought her. "Thank you," Lindsay mumbled. She was silent for a moment. "How much do they know?"

"Everything," Hermione replied. Everything could mean certain things.

"What is exactly is 'everything'?" Lindsay asked.

"That your parents were killed by Lucius Malfoy and that Voldemort sent him to do it. They know that your father was a death eater that betrayed Voldemort and you're family was one…that could be compared to a bunch of those foul Slytherins," Hermione said, quietly. Lindsay let out a sigh of relief. That wasn't everything.

"Oh, nobody holds it against you. They don't think you to be a Slytherin. I mean, you are in Gryffindor and you've fought against them a lot," Hermione said. "But, I must say, I've never heard the name Caldwell as a Death Eater name."

"It wasn't Caldwell," Lindsay said, quietly. "Caldwell is the name of the family that took me in. They are the only family I've known. But, my birth parents, they were Richmond."

Hermione had a look that told Lindsay she recognized the name.

"Well, thanks again for the homework," She said. Hermione nodded and started to head out. She stopped at the door. "I don't know if this means anything to you, but Harry told me to tell you that in one of our classes, Pansy had said that she hoped you meet the same end as your traitorous parents, and Malfoy told her to shut up."

Lindsay stared for a moment. "It seems that Malfoy is angry that he's got detention and doesn't even want to hear of the whole situation any longer."

"Seems so," Hermione said, and then she was off. Lindsay was left alone in the dorm. She started on the homework. She understood most of it from reading the textbooks. She didn't think she would have paid attention in class anyway. She finished most of her homework and left the rest for the morning. She slept that night, but not before having another cry.


	11. Eleven: All's Well

A/n: Yay, an update. I'm almost done with the next chapter, so I might have that up tomorrow if I am around the house. Thanks to reviewers: Kurama'sfoxykistune, phabandphat, T. Riddle, and LikeIcareabtU.

**Hate's Just A Word**

Chapter ELEVEN: All's well

The next day was awkward. The tension between Slytherins and Gryffindor was at it's highest point. Even Neville almost got into a fight with Blaise Zabini. It was insane. Luckily, there weren't many Gryffindor and Slytherin classes together. There was a lot of tension at Apparition lessons, and a bunch of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were afraid and did not wish to get involved. Yet, Potions was the last subject of the day and it was a double block. It was going to be terrible.

"Today, we will be brewing a solution to outbreaks, which I'm sure many you may find useful, that is…if you can brew it correctly," Snape said in his usual, cold voice. "You will be in pairs…that I choose. Potter and Zabini. Granger and Parkinson…"

Snape always made the worst pairs. He was making the whole situation worse. He knew that the Slytherins and Gryffindors were at war and he purposely paired them up together. The Slytherins knew they wouldn't get in trouble for anything they did. Yet, the Gryffindors knew that Snape would take off points in a second.

"Longbottom and Goyle. And lastly, Caldwell and Malfoy."

Everyone gasped at the last pairing. Lindsay shot a glare at Snape. How dare he place them together after everything that happened the day before! Yet, they didn't complain. Everyone moved to their partners. Lindsay walked over and sat down next to Malfoy. She didn't look him in the eye or even greeted him. Everyone was watching them. They thought at least one of them would try to kill the other by the end of the class.

"Let's get the ingredients and get this over with," Malfoy mumbled. She nodded, and avoided any looking directly at him. The two quietly got the ingredients and started to separately prepare them. They both worked together, with cooperation, and as less conversation as possible. After the long hour, they completed their potion, with complete perfection, actually. Yet, mostly everyone else was staring at them, waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened at all. They were silent to each other, without saying a word. Lindsay was determined to keep her gaze away from Draco. She stared down at her notes, but suddenly felt it. He was looking at her. She could feel his eyes watch her, thinking that she didn't know. She didn't want to look at him, but she did. They caught each other's gaze for a second. There was a few seconds of unspeakable tension, yet none of them had hostility in their eyes. They both looked tired, actually. Lindsay quickly looked away, and water started appearing in her eyes again. She tried her hardest to blink it away. She didn't want him to see her in her moment of weakness. She wiped her eyes and sniffed repeatedly. The class ended. Dinner went on, and there was a little free time afterwards. Lindsay had detention with Snape…and Malfoy. At nine o clock, she went to Snape's dungeons. Malfoy was already there, sitting down. Snape looked at her and motioned for her to talk a seat. She sat down in the same row as Malfoy, but not quite near him.

"If one of you even thinks about pulling any of your stunts here, you will be gravely mistaken to do so. Do not cause trouble. You will be cleaning my potions classroom. I want everything to be spotless when I come back," He said.

"Come back?" Lindsay asked, not being able to stop herself.

"Yes, I will be out while you are here," He said. "No magic, by the way. The broom, mop and water are over here. I will know if you have used magic. Oh, and when I return, both of you better be alive and fully functioning."

"Yes, sir," muttered the two. Snape left them. Lindsay sighed and grabbed the broom. She started to sweep up the place. It was a dungeon and dungeons tended to be dark, damp, and dirty. Malfoy was left with the mop. He looked slightly bewildered. He had never mopped in his life. He didn't even know how to use it. Lindsay sighed and put her broom aside. She walked over to him and took the mop from his hands, silently. She dunked it in water, and started to demonstrate how it work. She returned the mop to him, and went back to sweeping. He got the hang of it, and started to mop the floors.

The previous day kept running through Lindsay's head. Pansy was touching him, their fight, and everything he had said to her. "I want to tell you something. Well, wanted to, and for a long time. I love you… I know. I guess we'll just have to find out sometime. But I found a better one. How do you feel about blood? Yet I wasn't going to chose her, as I'm...or rather…**was** already involved in a relationship.

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes again. She always had the feeling that their relationship was quite doomed, but she never gave up on it. She wanted him and she knew it. She was in love. Even now, after that horrible fight, she still loved him. Yet, he didn't feel the same way anymore. He calmly insulted her dead family, and the one she was raised by. He was even going to use some illegal dark magic on her…involving the spilling of her blood. She started sobbing uncontrollably, which was nothing new as of late. She was quite loud, and stopped for a second to lean against a table for support. She let the tears come and exposed her weak side while he was in the room. It was hard, but she had to let it out. After a few minutes or so, she stopped her crying, wiped her eyes and continued with the sweeping.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, dropped the broom, and grabbed her wand. Malfoy stood in front of her now, with his hand on her shoulder.

"Stop it," said Malfoy. She stared at him. She didn't think that a glare would be half as intimidating with her red, puffy eyes.

"Excuse me?" She asked, coolly, although she her voice was a bit shaky.

"Stop crying," He said, looking straight at her. He looked so calm, and collected, and at that moment, he looked especially handsome. That made her want to cry even more.

"I'm glad for you that you are taking this so well, but I am not as…lucky. I can't just stop as you want me to," She muttered, angrily.

"I can't take it. Every time you cry, I…" He looked down. "Just a couple of hours ago, I went into the boy's bathroom, locked my stall, and carried on in a manor just like you have."

He expected her to laugh or something. She didn't. She just stared.

"Why?" She asked quietly. "I'm nothing but a blood traitor, right? And don't I deserve to die in the same way as my traitorous parents?"

"Pansy's words, not mine," He said, calmly. Malfoy was unusually mature. He wasn't sinister or angry this time. He was truthful, and serious. "Am I a not a Death Eater in training? According to you, on many occasions, I'm a Death Eater like my father and I'm ready to get the dark mark."

She looked away, guiltily. "Malfoy, this was doomed from the start. It can't work. I mean, you're not a death eater now and you don't have the dark mark now, but who knows how long before that time comes. We're way too different. I don't agree with your views at all."

"Doomed, huh?" He asked, still as serious as ever and mature. "Then why are you crying?"

She looked at him through her red eyes. "It's hard to let go…"

"Then why do it? Why let go?" He asked, tightening his grip on her shoulder.

"Because I have to," She said, bursting with emotion. She gave a nod to her shoulder. "So should you."

"No," He said, simply. He didn't change his expression. He just stared. "I don't want to."

"What is wrong with you!" She asked, yelling now. "Did you not learn anything? We're meant to be enemies! Your father killed my father! You attempted dark magic on me!"

"It was a fight. We have different views. Yes, I did try to curse you because I knew I couldn't win. You made me angry. You insulted me and my family, just as I insulted you and your family. We were both angry, and we had a fight. That doesn't change our feelings. You're the one is crying in class because you still care. I still care as well. I don't care about the fight. I should have told Pansy to back off. I should have respected you more."

She stared. This was so unlike him. "Thank you for taking the blame, but it's not entirely your fault."

"No, it is," He claimed. "I didn't know you would be…well…jealous. I should have told you or something."

Lindsay sighed. "I don't know if it can be like it was. Maybe we should take it much more slow or something… Plus, I don't think Snape would like to come back to find us snogging."

"I just want it to be the way it was. I think it can be," He said, sounding as if he were ready to plead if necessary.

"I think he half-expects us to be snogging, well, now that he knows," She said, crossing her arms.

"Sorry 'bout that," He mumbled, quietly, looking aside. He then looked her again. "I'm sorry about everything and I don't know what else I can say to get you back. I know I've always loved the hard-to-get thing, but I just want you now."

"You're acting as if we're going to die tomorrow. We have more time than that," Lindsay said. Draco didn't say anything, which was quite suspicious. He didn't believe it as she did.

"Please," He said, simply. He looked her in the eyes. He looked so innocent.

"Oh, Draco," Lindsay said, as she sank into his open arms. She sobbed quietly onto his chest.

"Listen," He said, quietly, as he stroked her hair. "I'm going to be busy. I mean, we're finishing Apparition Lessons, although I can't take the test yet. The only time we'll have together is at night. I want it to be more, but like I said, I'm going to be busy."

"I understand," said Lindsay, just as quietly. Draco looked down at her and casted a sad look. She didn't understand at all. "I just want one thing, Draco."

"What's that?"

"To stop fighting, to stop talking," She said, quietly. He looked down at her, and she looked up at him.

"Er, does that mean our relationship will only contain…snogging?" He asked, confused.

"No. I mean we're to stop talking in our classes. I'm not going to insult you and you're not going to insult me. We're not going to start fights or talk about one another even if someone else starts it. We're not going to talk about Harry, Ron, Hermione, and anyone else you hate. We're not going to talk about anyone I hate, nor our families nor Voldemort. If your going to insult Harry or anyone else, I better not be there, alright?"

"Okay," He said softly. She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes.

"We better get back to cleaning or Snape will poison us…well, me anyway," said Lindsay, who was breathing heavily.

"Right," Draco said, but he pulled her close to him and kissed her as if he hadn't in years. It was more like days. They hadn't had the time to be together, even before their row. They pulled away, and resumed their jobs. Lindsay still felt the air around them to be awkward, and quickly resolved, but Malfoy pleaded with her. There was something else going on with him and she couldn't just do that to him. She still had the same feelings for him as before, and she was really glad she didn't lose him. Yet, it would be a bit awkward for a while.

Snape wasn't very impressed with the cleaning job when he came back, but called it 'acceptable.' They would be there the next night and he probably had something much more horrible for them to do. It was 11:30 pm when the two finally left. No one was in sight. Draco took Lindsay's hand and grasped it tight. He started to take her back to the Slytherin common room.

_"Vinovat."_

The wall opened and the two went inside. The common room was dark and empty. The walked the familiar steps they had done before many times and they ended up in his room. She sat down on his bed and took off her school robes. She hadn't gone back to the Gryffindor Tower and was still in her school uniform. She loosened the tie around her neck and pulled it off. Draco took off his shoes, and then his tie. He started to unbutton his shirt, and pulled it off. His was turned away from Lindsay, and his back was facing her. She looked away, but only slightly. He had no problem changing in front of her. He was quickly changed into his usual Malfoy pajamas. Lindsay took off her shoes, and laid down on his bed, putting her arms behind her head, and looked up at the ceiling. Draco walked towards the bed, and she moved over to make space for him. He sat down, and then laid down next to her. He looked up at the ceiling as she did.

"So, you okay?" He asked her, slightly looking over at her.

"Yeah…well, I will be," She said, quietly. She moved in closer to Malfoy. "Thank you… I was trying so hard to make this end…even though I didn't want it to. You saved us."

"I told you, remember? I told you I wanted to make it work. I'm not going to give up that easily," He said, grinning. They were quiet for a little. He wanted to ask her something, but it was something they were not supposed to talk about, but he still had the need to ask her. "Lins, I want to ask you about something, but it includes Potter…"

"Draco…"

"Yeah, I know, but it's about us," He said. She sighed, and waited for him to go on. "You said the only reason you gave me the time of day is because Pott—Harry did… Yet, it's over. We're enemies now…so do you…"

"I think by now I've been giving you the time of day on my own accord," She said, before he could even ask. He smiled and gave a nod.

"Do you want something else to wear? I mean, it must be uncomfortable to sleep in those clothes all the time," Draco said. He sat up.

"Oh, no, I'm quite used to it," She said.

"Too bad," He said. He got up and went to get her some clothes. He ended up throwing her a long, light green button-up shirt, and a pair of his boxer shorts. She stood up and turned her back from him. She knew he was watching as she started to unbutton her shirt.

"Malfoy, please," She said, turning her head and giving him a glare. He simply smirked.

"Oh, what's wrong?" He asked. "You can watch me change, but I can't watch you?"

She rolled her eyes. It was typical Malfoy. "Fine, you're right." She took of her shirt, keeping in mind that Draco could only see the back, not the front. She put the shirt on, and quickly buttoned it up. She slipped her skirt off, and put on the pair of shirts. They were quite big for her. She grabbed her wand from her discarded robe, and made the shorts fit. She put her wand away, and put her clothes neatly together. She stood in front of the bed again. Draco came from behind her and put his hands around her.

"You tired?" He asked in a whisper. She smiled.

"No," She replied.

"Ah, well, I'm quite sleepy. Spent, actually," He said. She rolled her eyes. The two got back into bed, and resumed the 'stare-at-the-ceiling' positions. Draco actually had been tired, and fell asleep soon after. Lindsay, on the other hand, was not quite as tired. She watched him sleep. He seemed more… different as of late. Before their fight, they hadn't had much time to see each other. It started even before Valentine's Day. He had been mysteriously busy. She was busy with her homework, but he didn't even do half of it anymore. He seemed more tired lately. She knew that there was something going on with him, but she didn't ask. He didn't tell her, so he obviously didn't want her to know. She would wait for him to tell her, but she had a feeling it had to do with well, you-know-who. She never got around to using he-who-must-not-be-named, which was the stupidest one of his many names. She didn't want it to be something to do with that, but she had a feeling that it was.

At sunrise, they both awoke. She changed, and left him as she usually did. She headed back to the tower, and it was no surprise that Harry Potter was awake. He had been awake more often, and he greeted her today.

"Where have you been?" He asked her, actually surprised to see her walking in the common room. She didn't reply. "Oh, don't tell me… not with him…"

"Harry, it's really none of your business," Lindsay said.

"What happened to that fight?" Harry asked.

"It was terrible and I wish it never happened, but Harry, you cannot possibly understand our feelings," Lindsay said, sternly.

"Maybe not, but you realize what he is and who he will be," Harry said.

"Of course," Lindsay said.

"That fight wasn't the only reason I ended it right there…" He said. "I've been suspecting him of something. You've noticed too, right?"

"Harry, at this moment in time, I really don't want to have this conversation. I've been unstable without him, and it's hard getting back to normal. Please, just not now. We can have it later, because I do realize things like you…" She went upstairs and laid down in her own bed. He was right, but at the moment in time, she was glad to have her Draco back. Draco himself realized their time together would be limited. They would both be going to different sides, soon. So, they were going to be together as long as they could.

The rest of the week, they both had their detentions which weren't that bad. Lindsay suspected that Snape didn't really want to punish Malfoy, and in turn, their punishments weren't bad at all. After detentions, they would go back to his room. It was a miracle that none of the Slytherins caught them, yet a good miracle. They spent their nights much like the first one. And at least two of those nights featured snogging. That weekend, Draco was mysteriously taken out of school. He never said anything to her, so she was slightly worried. She tried not to act worried or preoccupied, but she was. She decided to do all of her homework, to take her mind off of the missing Malfoy.

She was doing okay with her homework, although she had other things on her mind. As she was writing on her essays, she saw Blaise Zabini near her. She could ask him, although she really didn't want to be talking to a Slytherin. Things were still more worse than they have ever been. Yet, she really wanted to know where he was.

"'ey, Zabini," She said, coolly. He looked over at her.

"What?" He asked, coldly.

"I don't think you should be wandering around without your leader," She said, trying not to sound as if she wanted to know anything about Malfoy.

"Draco's not my leader," said Blaise Zabini. "Plus, he's not even in school."

"Oh?" She asked.

"His mother took him out of school for the weekend. I suppose he'll be back by Monday," said Blaise.

"Pity," said Lindsay. She looked back at her essay, and picked up her quill again.

"I'm surprised he didn't tell you," said Blaise to Lindsay's surprise. She frowned and gave him a puzzled look. She stared. "Let's just say you might have left something in his room."

She stared with disbelief. Oh, god. Blaise Zabini was going to blackmail her or tell everyone and ruin everything. She would lose everything if he told. She tried to think of what she had left there. She couldn't think of anything. He was bluffing.

"Excuse me?" She asked, acting appalled.

"Your tie," He said.

"What do you mean by my tie?" She asked, glaring. "So he had a Gryffindor tie in his room and it suddenly belongs to me? I don't think so."

"It was your tie because on the back, it featured the initials L.R.C.,"He said, smirking. "…which I happen to know mean Lindsay Richmond Caldwell."

"So, the boy has my tie. It just means he's a creepy stalker," She said, although her heart was pounding.

"Don't worry. I can't tell. Malfoy's got me under a curse. If I tell anyone, something much like the incident last year with the girl who ratted on Potter's group will occur," Zabini said. "It makes perfect sense, though. I should have realized it earlier…"

"Go away," She hissed. She couldn't believe Malfoy told him. He could have just said he was a creepy stalker, but he told Zabini. Even though Zabini couldn't tell, she didn't want a Slytherin to know. Zabini smirked and walked away. It was simply wonderful. Just a few seconds later, she heard a noise from behind her. From the shelves behind her, she heard a_ 'I knew it.'_ She couldn't believe it. Not another one. She took out her wand and pointed it at the bookshelf.

"Who's there?" Lindsay asked, angrily. A moment later, Hermione Granger stepped from behind the bookshelf. She stared in disbelief. She was surprised Hermione hadn't already figured it out, but she didn't want her to know.

"So, that Blaise boy knows as well," Hermione said.

"Knows what?" Lindsay asked, still pointing her wand at Hermione.

"About you and Malfoy," Hermione said, simply. Lindsay let out a frustrated sigh.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Oh, just a minute. I just heard him telling you he can't tell anyone," Hermione said.

"How do you know?" Lindsay asked, with a sigh.

"Well, it seemed to make sense, didn't it?" Hermione said. "You were always leaving in the middle of night and coming back in the early morning. You're always fighting and then staring at each other in class. Suddenly, he knows everything about you and you about him…and once Harry told me to tell you what he had said that day to Pansy, I was quite sure."

"Wonderful," Lindsay muttered, bitterly.

"So, who knows?" Hermione asked.

"Malfoy, me, you, Harry, and Blaise."

"Harry knows, does he?" Hermione asked, slightly surprised.

"Yeah, we didn't tell him. He found out with his map thing that is an invasion of privacy. Whatever that thing is called…he caught us snogging, but whatever," Lindsay muttered. Hermione looked as if she did not want to hear the bit about the snogging. "Well, I trust you to know to keep it to yourself. I'd rather not have another person knowing. Try not to talk about it with Harry, alright? I'd rather not have him knowing that you know. Just keep it to yourself."

"Okay," Hermione agreed. First Malfoy was missing, and now suddenly two more people knew about their secret relationship. Things couldn't go right, could they?


	12. Twelve: The Dark Mark

A/n: Yay, a wicked quick update. I finished this one quickly. Please, tell me what you think! Read and Review!

**Hate's Just A Word**

Chapter TWELVE: The Dark Mark

Malfoy returned to school on Monday as Zabini had said. No one knew why he was taken in the first place. Yet, he seemed to be quieter and more pale than usual. In classes, Zabini kept giving her the most annoying looks. She was thinking about fighting him, but she had done so much of that this year, she didn't want to leave her much more peaceful life to punch his face in. She kept in mind that he couldn't tell anyone. Hermione kept giving her looks once in a while. She was still in disbelief and definitely did not like that they were together. Harry wanted to have that talk, but she wasn't in the mood for it just quite yet.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Zabini sent her over notes. He was into tormenting her. Draco didn't even notice anything. He had this dazed look on his face, and his mind was obviously elsewhere. She opened up his note.

_So, you'll be seeing him tonight, of course. I think you should pop in and say hello. We'd love to see you._

She hated him for knowing. He would annoy her for fun. He was a typical Slytherin. When she annoyed Draco, it was usually fun, but she was allowed to do that. She remembered that before this year, they didn't even know she existed. She never said anything. Life was so peaceful. Then she started to fight with Draco Malfoy every other day, and the next thing she knew, she was dating him. The Slytherin inside her awoke, and she became just as bad as them for fun. After that last fight, she couldn't do it anymore. Everything was so chaotic, and by now, everyone expected her to be that way. She missed the peace, and so she stopped. She would stop taunting Draco, and he would stop taunting her. She would just have to tell Blaise to leave her alone.

_Please, save it. I don't care what you have to say. I'd rather not waste my life fighting with you. I've had enough of that with you-know-who. Just leave me alone._

She looked away from Blaise and looked at the Professor who was randomly talking about something. A few moments later, another note arrived. She almost threw it away, but she decided to read it.

_I hear Pansy will be making a move on Draco soon since things have been going so well. What are you going to do about it?_

He was doing it just to annoy her. This would be her last response.

_I have no problem with fighting her. Draco would be next. And, I have absolutely no problem punching your face in._

She ended it there, and spent the rest of the class feeling annoyed. She was annoyed at Blaise, and annoyed at Draco. She tried to catch him after class, but he hurried off and she didn't even have a chance to catch him. He only attended classes, and then it was impossible to find him. It didn't matter. She would just talk to him later.

Later came, and she was getting out of bed to go to him. She went to the place she hated so much to see him. Once she entered the Slytherin common room, she almost expected Blaise Zabini to pop out and surprise her. He didn't. She quietly crept up the stairs and went to Draco's room. She opened the door. He was standing by the window and looking out of it. She quietly closed the door, and then he turned around.

"Hey," He said to her. She smiled and walked over to him.

"Hey," She said as she wrapped her arms around him. She rested her chin on his shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"Okay," He said, although they both knew that he's been way better.

"So, why didn't you tell me you were leaving for the weekend?" Lindsay asked. He sighed. Lindsay lifted her head, and he turned around to look at her.

"I didn't know until that morning. I left right after you left. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you," He said.

"It's okay," She said. "So, when did you tell Blaise Zabini?"

He turned red and looked away for a moment. "After you left, before I left…" He looked back her. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to say. An owl from my mother went to the wrong room, and he was only bringing the owl to me. He was in my room, as I was reading the note and he noticed the tie. Your initials were on the back, so I told him, mostly everything, but not all of it. Don't worry. I cursed him. He won't tell anyone."

"I wish he didn't know," Lindsay said, with a sigh.

"Me too," He said. "I'd rather have it without him knowing."

"Oh, he's not the only new addition. Hermione knows as well," Lindsay said, unhappily.

"Granger knows?" Draco asked, surprised.

"It was only a matter of time," Lindsay said. The two sighed.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I don't care if they know," Draco said. He leaned forward and started to kiss Lindsay. She put her hand on his head, and kissed him back. They pulled back, and smiled at each other. Draco took her hand and took her to the bed. She kicked off her shoes. He sat down and laid back, and she positioned over him. The two started with their snogging. Lindsay hadn't even bothered to change. She remained in her uniform. Draco was in his pajamas. He was wearing long sleeves, which was quite abnormal.

Lindsay put her hand on the side of his head, and started to run her hand through his hair. For a long, long while, they went on with their snogfest. And then Draco suddenly cried out in pain. They pulled apart. Lindsay stared. Had she accidentally hurt him? Yet, even though they were apart, he still had a pained expression on his face. She realized she put her hand on his left arm for support. She removed it and placed it down on the bed.

"Sorry," She said. He smiled, weakly.

"It's okay," He said. They looked at each other, and then Lindsay's eyes widened. 'Left arm…left forearm. No, it can't be…' She didn't want to let him know that she suspected him. She leaned back forward, and started to kiss him again, although she had other things on her mind. The Dark Mark… that's why he left the school. Voldemort gave him the Dark Mark… he's only sixteen. He's probably proud and happy that he got the mark. He'll be showing it off to his friends… He doesn't want me to know, and that's why he's wearing long sleeves. Well, we'll have to get this shirt off.'

Lindsay deepened the kiss and put her hands on his chest. She started to undo the first button. She knew by doing this, she would be making some sacrifices. She stopped, and started to loosen her tie. She threw it onto the floor. She lifted her Gryffindor vest, and forced it over her head. She unbuttoned the first button of her shirt and allowed Draco to do the rest. The shirt came off, and they continued kissing. 'Now, for his shirt…'

She started to unbutton his shirt as they snogged. He didn't stop her. She was almost there. She undid the last button. 'Yes!' She started to pull his shirt off, and then suddenly, she felt his hand gripping her arm.

"Wait," He said, looking at her. She stared in disbelief. She was so close. He couldn't say that now. "We should wait."

She almost glared, but she had to keep her calm. She kept her eyes on his face, and tried hard not to look anywhere near his left arm. She couldn't believe what he was saying and what she was saying. "Why?"

He looked in disbelief. "It's not that I don't want to." She knew that already. He was a guy… "But, we should wait."

She was angry, but she took a deep breath. He was hiding something, and she knew it was that. "I understand," She said. She removed herself from on top of him, and moved beside him. She rested her head on his chest. He was careful to move his left arm as she did so. She would just wait until he fell asleep. He started to stroke her hair. When he stopped, she would know whether he was asleep or not. He did it for a while, but he eventually stopped. She carefully moved her head, back onto a pillow. She turned on her side and watched him. His breathing was much more slow, and his hand that once was stroking her hair was now still. She watched him for a while and he made no more movements. Now, the trick was pulling up his sleeve without him noticing. She carefully placed her fingers around the edge of his sleeve. She then carefully pulled it, slowly. His arm was probably very sensitive so she tried not to touch it. Suddenly, the mark became clear. There it was… She pulled her hand back in fear. She didn't want to touch it or even be anywhere near it. She was horrified. Why did he have the Dark Mark? The answer was obvious. He was pulled out of school this past weekend to get the mark. It meant that Voldemort finally had some use for him.

She had always been joking when she said that he was a death eater in training, but now it was a reality. He looked so peaceful, and so beautiful while he was sleeping. His chest moved up and down as he breathed and he looked different than his normal, devious self. The mark ruined the beauty of the boy. She didn't want to see it but couldn't stop staring at it. She hated Voldemort for desecrating the boy. She couldn't stand to look at that mark anymore. She pulled his sleeve down, just as carefully as she pulled it up.

God, it made her sick. She turned away from him, and faced the other direction. She was overwhelmed with horror, anger, and fear. She had to keep in mind it was still the same Draco Malfoy. He was same guy as the one she fell in love with. It wasn't a different person. He was different, though, and he would become more different. He would become more preoccupied with his mission from his stupid Dark Lord. Their time together was running out. She had a hard time getting to sleep. She could only think about him and that stupid Dark Mark.

In the morning, Draco shook her awake.

"'ey, wake up," He said, shaking her slightly. She stirred and yawned.

"What?" She muttered, too lazy to move or even open her eyes.

"It's time for you to go," He said. She opened her eyes, rubbed them, yawned once more, and turned over to her other side. He was sitting over her.

"You kicking me out, then?" She asked with another yawn.

"Oh, no. If you want to stay, I don't mind a pretty girl wearing only an undergarments and her skirt in my bed," Draco said, with a smirk. Lindsay reached for the pillow, and hit him with it.

"I'm not pretty, am I?" She asked, tiredly.

"I think you are."

"Okay, yeah, I don't trust that."

"You're better looking than—"

"—that cow Parkinson?" She finished for him with a grin. He grinned back and nodded.

"Just think about it. I'm Draco Malfoy. Would I be dating you if I didn't think you were attractive?"

"Good point," She said with a laugh. She then glanced at his left arm. She felt that sick feeling in her stomach. She abruptly stopped laughing, but he didn't notice.

"'ey, pass me my shirt," She said to him. He leaned over and grabbed her stuff from the floor. She sat up and put on her white button down shirt. She did the buttons, and then put the Gryffindor vest over it. She put the tie back on, and she was fully clothed. Now would be a good a time as ever to confront him.

"So, anything you want to tell me," She said, standing up. She had a serious tone, but Malfoy believed that she was just kidding around.

"Um… I love you?" He said, laughing afterwards.

"That's nice to know," She said. She turned and looked at him, crossing her arms.

"Um…?" Draco said, realizing that she was serious.

"I know," She said, quietly. He stared.

"What?"

"I know…" She said. She took out her wand and pointed it at her left arm. With a slight wave, she lifted up the sleeve. Draco's eyes widened and he quickly pulled the sleeve down. He obviously didn't want her to know. "…about that."

"How? How do you know?" He asked.

"First, you wear long sleeves… You left on the weekend, mysteriously. When I was putting pressure on your left arm, you were in pain," She said as she pocketed her wand. "And lastly, you turned down a lot in order to keep your shirt on."

He looked panicked and he didn't know what to do or say.

"Please," He finally said. "Don't hate me because of this… It wasn't—"

"Draco, I don't want your excuses. I know you, and I understand," She said, quietly. "It's your beliefs. It's your side. You belong there and you're glad to have that mark. Voldemort has some use for you. You'll be doing some kind of plan for him…I know I don't agree with it. We both know that, but it isn't time for it to end, right now. I'll be with you for as long as I possibly can… "

"So, you're not leaving me?" He asked, quietly.

Not yet. She didn't want to say that. "No."

He let out a sigh of relief. She said goodbye and left him, still thinking about the dark mark. She went into the Gryffindor Common Room, and today, not only was Harry there, but Hermione and Ron were there. As she walked in, it became silent and completely awkward. Harry knew, and Hermione knew, but Harry didn't know Hermione knew. Ron didn't know about it and they didn't tell him. Harry and Hermione knew where she was, or suspected, but Ron has a confused look on his face.

"You three are up early," Lindsay said, tiredly. They all stared.

"Where were you?" Ron asked. She shrugged.

"I was sleep-walking. I guess I fell asleep in some random classroom, because when I woke up I was like' where the hell am I?'" Lindsay made up at the last second. Ron bought it.

"You sleep-walk?" He asked.

"Yeah, all the time," Lindsay said.

"I figured it was that," Hermione said, to add emphasis.

"You okay?" Ron asked. "You look like you've just seen the dark mark or something."

She stared. Unbelievable. He got it on his first try.

"Fine, fine. I'm just going to…sleep or something," She said, and headed to the dorms. That one was pretty close and overly suspicious. Luckily, Ron didn't ask why she was still in her school uniform from the day before. He was right. She did just see that stupid dark mark. It haunted her all through the day. She couldn't look at Draco the same way. Every time she would see him, she immediately looked at his left arm. It was mid-March already, and she was beginning to think that this was the beginning of the end. It wouldn't be able to go on any longer. She would try to hold on as long as she could. She would be with him for as long as she could. She did the avoiding of Harry Potter a lot. She didn't want to have that talk with him.

Throughout the week, Lindsay noticed some different behaviors within Draco. Whenever he was around fellow Slytherins. They would always be laughing, and Draco acted like his usual conceited, I-think-I'm-the-best self. During class, he would just stare off into the distance. He looked as if he wanted to be elsewhere. He almost looked sort of troubled. He did become a bit paler than usual. And, at night, when they were together, he acted perfectly normal. He had his usual comments, and his smirks, and his sense of humor.

She sat on his bed, and listened to him go on about Crabbe or Goyle trying to do something. He still seemed to love the sound of his own voice. She tried to pay attention, but she had his behavior changes and his dark mark on her mind.

"—so, then he tried to—Are you listening?" He asked, suddenly. She was taken aback.

"Of course. Please continue," She said. He looked at her for a second, but he bought it.

"Anyway, so then he tried to…"

She, once again, stopped listening and thought to herself. 'Should I ask him about him? Should I ask what's troubling him? Or should I just let him think that I don't notice his changes? He got the amusing part of his story, and she forced a laugh to convince him that she was actually listening. They talked the whole night, rather he talked a lot. Eventually, he fell asleep, in the middle of a story. She was slightly relieved. He had a nice sounding voice, no doubt, but she couldn't take another one of his stories. He wasn't interested in what Crabbe or Goyle did, or what Zabini or Nott said. She was more interested in him and his well-being.

He started to make sounds, and caused Lindsay to jump. She looked at him. He was still asleep. He moved a bit and started muttering in his sleep.

"No, don't kill them. Don't kill my family. I didn't mean to fail. Don't do it…"

He was having a nightmare of some kind. Lindsay figured it was about Voldemort or something like that. Of course, it made sense. He was marked because he had a purpose for him. He's given Draco a mission and threatened him to do it right because if he doesn't, than Voldemort would kill his family. He was sweating, and having a bad nightmare. He made occasionally sounds of fear, but he could no longer make words.

She put her hand on his head, and started to slowly stoke his blond hair.

"It's alright, Draco," She whispered, although she knew he could not hear her. It wasn't alright, and it never would be. She eventually fell asleep, and it was a nice break from reality.

The next morning was quiet. The two of them woke up, but they didn't talk to each other. Draco looked really pale, and he looked as if he had a long, long nightmare, which he had. Lindsay looked normal, but was quite stressed. She had a lot on her mind from Draco to wishing her life was normal. Finally, Lindsay decided to start a conversation.

"Are you going to take the Apparition test?" She asked, randomly. It was a nice change from the serious atmosphere.

"No, my birthday is in June. I can't," He replied, quietly.

"Oh, me neither. Mine's in June as well…" She said. They were silent for a second. Draco was still thinking about his nightmare, no doubt. He was thinking about his mission. Apparition, classes, even his girlfriend were the farthest things from his mind.

"You were tossing and turning last night," She said and looked at him. "Were you having a nightmare?"

He looked startled, and surprised. "Yeah," He said, quietly.

"About what?" She asked. She waited for the lies. He always lied. She never knew why, but he lied and he would do so now.

"Death," He said, calmly. She looked surprised. "The Dark Lord was torturing my parents, and then killed them. He tortured me for hours. Oh, and then he killed you. You didn't get tortured."

She wanted to speak her mind. She wanted to tell him that he shouldn't have accepted this mission. She wanted to tell him that he was only sixteen and he had his whole life ahead of him. He shouldn't have joined the Dark Lord. Yet, today, she said nothing. She wouldn't trouble him even more than he already was. She put her hand on his shoulder, and gave it a gentle squeeze. They were silent once more.

"Hey, today's a Hogmeade trip," said Lindsay, trying hard to change the mood.

"Yeah," He said, showing no interest at all.

"Do you want to go…and hang out together?" She asked, trying to get something from him. He looked at her, surprised.

"You mean, in public?" He asked.

"Yes."

"What will we say to people?"

"The truth. They won't believe it," She said. They looked at each other for a moment. It was a weird moment. Lindsay could tell that Draco was interested, but he was looking for a reason not to go. That made absolutely no sense.

"Sure," He said. "I'd love to."

She left a while later. Why did he want to go, but not want to do? It was insane. She crept quietly through the hallways of the boys' dormitory. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. What did he want now? She turned around, but it wasn't Draco. It was Blaise Zabini.

"Oh, you," She sneered at him. He just smirked. She continued walking, and he followed her. She stopped in the common room, and turned around once more.

"What?" She hissed, in a whisper.

"How's Draco?" He asked, with that annoying smirk.

"Preoccupied, troubled, and distant," She replied, honestly. Zabini frowned.

"Yeah, he has been lately, hasn't he?"

"Very much so," Lindsay said, looking for an opportunity to leave, but Zabini went on talking.

"He's been busy with that mission for the Dark Lord, I suppose," said Zabini, giving a look to Lindsay.

"No, I don't know what it is. He hasn't told me and I don't think he ever will," Lindsay said, with a sigh. "So, he hasn't told you guys?"

Zabini shook his head. "He's keeping it to himself. He makes Crabbe and Goyle help him, but he won't tell them what he's doing. All I know is that he has a dark mark."

"Ah, the dark mark."

"Cool, isn't it?" Zabini said with a smirk. Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"He tried to keep it from me…"

"We're all wondering what his mission is. Don't you think you could seduce him and get him to tell you?"

She let out a laugh. She thought about when she was exposing the truth about the dark mark. He protected his dark mark well. "Trust me, it won't work."

"Great boyfriend you have, eh?"

She couldn't have said it better herself.

Lindsay left the Slytherin Common Room, and headed to her own. She walked in, and the usual crowd was there, minus Ron. Harry and Hermione were sitting around, discussing things. As usual, they turned silent when she entered. This encounters were always interesting. Harry and Hermione both knew where she was, but Harry didn't know Hermione knew.

"Hey," She said to the two of them.

"Sleepwalking, again?" Harry asked. His voice sounded colder than usual.

"Yeah, that," Lindsay replied, frowning.

"Er…we were talking about Malfoy," Hermione said, suddenly. "And we could use your opinion. I mean, you've fought with him a lot, and seem to know things about him."

"Okay, what about?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Harry seems to think that Malfoy has the dark mark and is doing some secret mission for Voldemort. I disagree."

"I'm going to have to agree with Harry. I think he has the dark mark and is doing some secret mission for Voldemort," She said. "Although I don't know what it is, and why would I? I overheard him bragging, but it seems he's keeping what the mission actually is, a secret. He's not telling anyone, which a surprise considering how he loves to brag."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"Quite," She replied. Without another word, she went upstairs and laid down, unable to go back to sleep. Perhaps, Hogsmeade would lighten the mood. She could only hope.


	13. Thirteen: Hogsmeade

**Hate's Just A Word**

Chapter THIRTEEN: Hogsmeade

Hogsmeade was very different than usual. It seemed to have lost its life. Half of the shops closed down, and half of the people who were usually there, left. It was quieter than usual without a doubt. Luckily, the Hogwarts students were able to liven it up a little bit. They brought a little bit of life back. There wasn't as much to do anymore, so stores were extra crowded. Lindsay slipped away from the large group of Gryffindors and headed out to meet Draco. There were meeting at the Hog's Head, mostly because no students ever went in there. She had never been in the Hog's Head, and for good reason. It was dirty, dark, damp, and kind of quiet. She walked in, kind of afraid. Half the people were under dark cloaks, and everyone seemed kind of mysterious. She looked around for Draco. He was sitting at the bar, having some kind of alcoholic beverage, or that's at least what Lindsay thought.

She walked over and sat down next to him. "How can you drink that?"

"A cleaning spell," He replied, taking another sip. He looked at her. "You want a drink?"

"Er…no," She replied, looking around. It wasn't as comfortable here as in the Three Broomsticks. He shrugged.

"So, what do you want to do?" He asked as he finished off his drink. "If you don't want to be seen, there's not really much to do."

"I guess we could wander around, and browse through the shops that are open," said Lindsay with a shrug.

"Yeah, okay," Said Draco, standing up. "I'll buy you something…"

She stood up and they walked out of the Hog's Head. Lindsay was relieved. She didn't like the place at all. They walked out into the crowded Hogsmeade streets. Students were too preoccupied chatting with their friends or going to places. No one gave anyone else a second glance. She felt slightly worried. What if someone saw them together? Well of course, they wouldn't believe their eyes, and when they asked her, she was going to tell the truth, but they wouldn't believe that either. She knew she would have to make up some lie or avoid some places. Draco, on the other hand, would be all with the going to public places, because he loved the attention, even if it was negative attention. If they were together, everyone would stare at them. He loved attention.

"Over here," Draco said, and headed in the direction of Honeydukes. She almost stopped and refused it. Honeydukes! _Everyone_ was in Honeydukes. What was he thinking? She figured that it was a test. He was testing her to see if they would go and to see if she lied about the part about being 'in public.' She followed him without any complaining or protesting. He entered the store and she followed. No one seemed to notice them. Honeydukes had always been Lindsay's favorite place in Hogsmeade. She was a big fan of candy and sweets. It had always been her heaven, and she couldn't help but love it, and forget a little bit about her situation.

"You look happy," He said. She looked at him and grinned.

"I love this place," She said.

"Alright then," Draco said, grinning back. "Get whatever you want. I'll pay."

"Oh, no. You're not paying for anything," Lindsay said, crossing her arms.

"Think about it. This is the only time in my life when I'm going to be nice. You better take advantage of it," He said, still with that grin. She couldn't help but smile.

"Draco, you are absolutely correct. I should take advantage. This is a onetime thing," She said.

"Alright, then," He said, looking around. "How about those? You want some of those?"

She followed his gaze. In front of her was the most delicious looking chocolate something-or-rathers she had ever seen in her life.

"Yes!" She said with excitement. Draco laughed, and she blushed. "Er… I mean, sure."

He walked over and grabbed her some of the chocolate things. "What else?"

"Some of these," She said, as she grabbed a handful of lollipops. She walked around the shop, trying not to spoil herself. She looked for the things that she liked the best, or at least, looked the best. She was addicted the sugar. She separated from Draco to get into one of the more crowded spots. She looked around the selection of flavored sugar, which was her favorite of all time. She saw it. The last package of red-flavored sugar. She reached to it, and grabbed it. Apparently, someone else wanted it as well, and grabbed her hand. Lindsay pulled back, holding the package in her hand. The other person pulled back their hand. She looked over at saw Pansy Parkinson, glaring. She glared back.

"Oh, you," Pansy said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, me," Lindsay mocked. She smirked for she had won the sugar. Blaise Zabini appeared out from behind Pansy. _'Wonderful…Slytherins…'_ She started to turn and head away, but it was too crowded to move. She was stuck waiting in her place until the people moved. _'Wonderful…stuck with Slytherins…'_

"I have an idea—" Pansy started to say but Lindsay cut her off.

"You want me to hand over the candy or you'll have Zabini over here curse me? Yeah, that's going to happen," Lindsay said. Pansy glared. They glared at each other for a few silent moments. Then Draco appeared out of absolutely nowhere, having been able to get through the crowd.

"Ah, there you are. I—" He started to say, but stopped once he realized she had company. It was an awkward moment. They four of them stood there staring. Draco was frozen in place, and now Blaise and Pansy were looking at Draco. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't come up with an insult or explanation. Finally, Pansy spoke.

"What are _you_ doing with_ her_?" She asked in her usual, sneering way. They were silent once more.

"Well, congratulations," Blaise Zabini said, suddenly, taking everyone by surprise. "You two seem to be winning the bet. I bet that they couldn't spend a couple of hours together with out fighting."

"That's right," Draco said, quickly. "You'll be doing three transfiguration essays."

Lindsay stared. Did Blaise just…cover for them? Of course, Harry would have done the same thing, but he wouldn't ask for anything in return. Blaise was going to be reminding them that they owed him a bunch.

"Oh," Pansy said, looking very confused. She shrugged, and pushed past them. Blaise smirked at the two of them.

"Okay, what do we owe you?" Lindsay asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, you my friend, will be doing two transfiguration essays. I would make Draco do my potions one, but he won't even do his own…" Blaise said. "So, Draco, my other friend, how about treating me to a butterbeer and other assorted treats in the Three Broomsticks."

Usually, Draco would have protested, but he just nodded. He bought a bunch of candy for Lindsay, and some for Blaise. The three of them headed over to the Three Broomsticks. Draco found Crabbe and Goyle, and kicked them out. They actually listened and gave up a table (which was impossible to get). Blaise sat down and Draco went to go get the drinks. Lindsay didn't want to sit down.

"Look at all the people," She said. "I can't be seen with you two."

"Why not?" Blaise asked. "Just lie and say it was a bet or something."

"I really don't want to," She said, crossing her arms. Just moments later, Harry and Hermione wandered over.

"Hey Lindsay," Hermione said. "Have you seen Ron, by any chance?"

Lindsay shook her head. Harry looked at her, and then at the table.

"Er, why are you standing at a table that's near _him_?" Harry asked.

"Oh, such a long story," Lindsay said. She motioned for them to sit down. They sat down across from Blaise, who didn't say anything, but glared. Lindsay sat down next to Blaise and looked at him. He rolled his eyes.

"'ey, Malfoy. Get two more drinks!" Blaise yelled. Harry and Hermione sat there looking confused.

"Okay, you three are the only three that know about Draco and me," She started. Harry looked at Blaise, but then to Hermione.

"You knew?" He asked her. She nodded.

"Sorry, she told me I couldn't tell you I knew," She said.

"Anyway," Lindsay said. "Draco's been acting…weird and distant lately, so I invited him to hang out with me in Hogsmeade, yes, in public. Draco likes attention, so he agreed. Back in Honeydukes, Parkinson caught us together, and Zabini saved us, but now I'm doing his transfiguration essay, so not all is well."

Draco came back, and his expression turned unhappy when he saw who had joined them at the table.

"No way," He said. "How did I end up treating Potter and Granger to drinks?"

Draco put the drinks down, and everyone took one. He found a chair and pulled it up to the table.

"Lovely, the club is all here," Draco muttered, bitterly. He shot a glare at Lindsay. She just shrugged. There was a very awkward and tense silence. Everyone drank their butterbeers, quietly.

"Well, isn't this awkward?" Blaise Zabini stated. Everyone looked at him and glared. He didn't care about all this. He didn't like Hermione, Harry, or Lindsay, but it wasn't a big deal to him. Harry and Hermione shot occasional glares at Draco and he glared back.

"Why? Why bother with him?" Hermione asked Lindsay. Everyone looked at them. Lindsay didn't answer her.

"It's because of the way he looks, Hermione. You know what happened to Lavender and Pavarti… It happened to her, too," Harry said, bitterly. Lindsay crossed her arms.

"Don't even, Harry," Lindsay said. Blaise sniggered.

"Oh, fig—"

"Shut up, Blaise," Lindsay snapped at him. He was about to say something back, but Ronald Weasley walked over.

"Hey, Harry, Hermione, Lins—" He stopped and looked around. "What are you doing sitting with him and him?" He shot looks at Draco and Blaise.

"Long story," Hermione muttered. Harry stood up.

"Just leaving," Harry said. "Come on, let's go."

Hermione stood up and Ron was still confused.

"Aren't you going to thank me for the drinks?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"_Don't_," Lindsay hissed at him. Harry just glared and started to walk away. Ron stared at Lindsay.

"You coming?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I'll meet up with you guys later. I'm going to finish my butterbeer," She said, holding it in her hand.

"Er, why are you with these two anyway?" Ron asked.

"It's a long story," Lindsay said.

"We're secret lovers," Draco said, with a smirk. At the same time, Blaise said, "It involves a bet and a couple of essays."

Ron stared and pretended he had not heard Malfoy. "Yeah, good one, Malfoy."

Draco just continued to smirk. He was going to speak again, but Blaise opened his mouth again.

"You see, I made a bet with the both of them. If they could stand each other for a couple of hours, I'd do their transfiguration essays for them…" Blaise started to go on. Ron stared.

"Okay, then," He said, giving Blaise a strange look. He looked once more at Lindsay. "I'll see you later then."

They all watched Ron walk away. Afterwards, Lindsay stood up and she looked at Draco.

"Come on. Let's go somewhere else," Lindsay said, grabbing her bags. Draco stood up and followed her out of the pub, before Blaise decided he wanted them to do more essays for him.

"That was fun," Draco muttered sarcastically as they walked down the busy street. Lindsay shot him a glare and rolled her eyes. He looked at her. "You started it."

"I disagree. I'm going to say that you started it the moment you kissed me," She said. Draco laughed.

"Oh, since we're going that far back, it's your fault for starting the fight."

"Which is your fault for annoying me."

"Which is your fault for becoming friends with Weasley."

"Which is your fault for becoming friends with Harry."

"Which is my uncle's fault because he tried to kill me."

"Which is your fault because you're quite cowardly."

"Which _isn't _my fault!" Draco snapped, bitterly.

"Which is your mother's fault for giving birth to you."

"Whoa, let's leave my mother out of this," Draco said. Lindsay smirked.

"Aw, it was just getting good," Lindsay said, with a laugh. Draco smiled. They walked down the busy street, not really sure where to go next. "So, what now?"

"I say let's go snog somewhere," Draco said, loudly, causing a few first years near them to stop walking, turn their heads, and stare.

"Oh, that sounds…" She paused and made sure the first years were still watching and listening. They were with deep interest. "…absolutely wonderful. Why go somewhere? I say, snog right here and now."

Draco had looked as if Christmas had come early. He couldn't believe his ears. His face lit up as if he were getting the worlds best Christmas present. He put his hand on her waist and started to lean in. She just laughed as he did so, she stepped back. Draco has a puzzled look on his face. He stared at her as she laughed.

"We have company," She said, very quietly, and in between laughs. He looked over at the group of first years.

"You're kidding me," He muttered. He glared at them in a very nasty and menacing way. They made startled noises and quickly ran off in the opposite direction. He looked back at Lindsay.

"Better now?"

She just smiled. "Come on. Let's go somewhere less public."

"Fine, fine," Draco muttered, as he followed her to an abandoned alley. Draco put her against a wall, and stood inches in front of her. They looked at each other for a moment. He leaned in and started to kiss her. It started it out as it normally did. Slow and sweet, and then turned deeper and more passionate. A few minutes into their snogging, they heard a sound nearby. Draco pulled back.

"Unbelievable," He muttered. Wandering through the alleyway was another group of first years. They stopped and stared at Draco and Lindsay. Draco shot them a mean glare. "Do you mind?"

Lindsay bit her lip and tried to keep herself from laughing. The group looked like a group of deer looking into car headlights. They finally realized what was going on, and turned around, walking away. Draco let out an angry sigh. He looked back at Lindsay.

"Shall we continue?" Draco said. Lindsay didn't reply. "Oh, don't you dare tell me you're not in the mood."

"I wasn't," She said with a smile. "But, good idea."

He smiled back, and started to kiss her once more. She put her hands around his neck and caressed the back of his neck. They snogged for a while, but then they realized that it was probably time to head back to the school. They separated and walked back onto the streets. It was the right time, as well. The students were leaving stores and heading back to the group of teachers. They walked, silently, back to the group of Hogwarts students.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tonight?" Lindsay said, before heading off to be with the Gryffindors.

"Yeah, see you later," Draco said. He went over to his friends in Slytherin, and she walked back to the Gryffindor group. She stood over by them, holding the bag of candies that Draco bought for her.

"Oy, Lindsay." Lindsay turned around to see Ron. This would be interesting. She hated questions.

"Hello, Ron," She said.

"Where'd you go?" He asked. A few moments later, Harry and Hermione appeared behind him.

"Well, I spent the remainder of my time torturing first years," Lindsay answered. Well, she did spend some time with first years, so it wasn't a total lie. Okay, it was a big lie.

"What'd you get at Honeydukes?" He asked, trying to make conversation. She figured this was his way of bonding with her. It had been obvious as of late, he was glad to have Harry back. He was also slightly romantically involved with Hermione. He didn't really need Lindsay as a friend to hang out with anymore. He was just pretending to be interested in order to be fair.

"Chocolate things, lollipop things. Oh, and I beat out Pansy Parkinson for the last red flavored sugar."

"That's good. I hate that Parkinson," Ron said. Lindsay nodded in agreement. She hated her for more reasons than Ron did, but that was beside the point. He continued to talk to her, and she answered him as if they were still friends. Before this year, Ron never paid any attention to Lindsay. She was just a quiet girl in their year that never really said anything or did anything. She didn't have friends. When Ron was having problems with Harry at the beginning of the year, she was happy to befriend him. Yet, it was only a short-term friendship. They would call each other friends, but she never hung out with him anymore. She was glad that he got Harry back, and the trio didn't have any outside members. Yet, she would never really be close to Ron again.

She gained Harry and Hermione as friends, but they only talked to her about Malfoy. As long as she was still with Malfoy, they would never really consider her a friend because she was dating the enemy, but once she and Malfoy were done, they would no longer pay any attention to her. Which was more important: Their trust or their attention? She noticed that Harry and Hermione treated her different ever since they found out. She didn't like it, and they were especially cold since Draco began his mission for Voldemort and got the dark mark. They didn't trust her and they hated that she was associating with the enemy. Harry, who was understanding at first, was suddenly showing his disapproval all the time. He wanted to talk to her and convince her out of the relationship. She knew that when they had that talk, she would listen to him and she would do as he said. She just ready for that day yet. She wanted to hold on to Draco Malfoy as long as she could.

**A/n: **Hogsmeade, how exciting. So, er, review. _To reviewers:_

_T. Riddle- Right about Blaise. Go you. And we love mature DM._

_Domonique Vida- Thanks for your nice words._

_Phabandphat- Thanks, and thanks. Yep, Dark Mark. Draco is evil, but we love him anyway._

_Kurama'sfoxykitsune- Thanks. You say the nicest things! Georgia, that sounded fun. Lord Voldy-pants is perhaps the best thing I've heard in a long, long time! That may make a random appearance when you least expect it._


	14. Fourteen: A Calm Ending

A/n: I would have updated yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to come online. Congrats to T. Riddle for meeting the Phelps. I bet they are gorgeous in person. Kurama'sfoxykitsune, I enjoy your long reviews. Not only are they entertaining, but very kind. So, everyone R&R.

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter FOURTEEN: A Calm Ending

The next day, everyone seemed to have seen them together in Hogsmeade. They didn't feel like explaining it. At breakfast, Lavender and Pavarti ambushed Lindsay. They practically attacked her.

"Hey, Lindsay," Pavarti said, appearing from one side of her.

"Hi, Pavarti," She said. Lavender appeared on the other side. "And, hello, Lavender."

"We saw you at Hogsmeade, yesterday," Lavender said, trying to suppress a smile.

"Oh, that's nice," Lindsay said, knowing what was coming.

"You were with Draco Malfoy," Lavender said, as if Lindsay was an idiot.

"I am quite aware of that."

"So, you finally got together, right?" Pavarti asked. She and Lavender giggled.

"We've been waiting for this to happen," Lavender said. "All those fights were just suppressed sexual tension. But, you've finally realized that you love each other and have gotten together."

Lindsay had the biggest urge to correct her and say, 'No, that was in December' but decided against it. She would have to deny everything and explain to them what it was. She would have to use Blaise's lame story.

"You look so good together," Pavarti added.

"You guys, I'm not 'together' with Malfoy," Lindsay said. They stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What?"

"I'm not together with him. There's a whole explanation for it," She said. Suddenly, an idea came to her. If she was going to write Blaise Zabini an essay that she really didn't want to do, he was going to suffer along with her. "You know who knows the truth? Blaise Zabini. Ask him and he'll tell you everything."

Lavender and Pavarti stared, but hurried off to ambush Blaise somewhere. She hated doing his essay for him because he saved Draco and her. Blaise had always been an A student. Lindsay was not as lucky, so she basically had to write an essay the best she could. She was lazy most of the time, and didn't always use all her potential. She wrote her Transfiguration essay, and then started to write his better than hers. It was annoying. She wanted to write a bad one and get him a bad grade, but he would do something to her. He couldn't tell about the relationship, but Slytherins were good at getting revenge.

About a dozen other people asked her, just that morning. She told them all that she was not with 'Draco Malfoy' and told them all to go ask Blaise Zabini. Zabini was quite surprised when everyone started ambushing him and asking him what was going on. He soon realized that someone told them to go to him, and became very angry, but it's not like he could tell the truth. Everyone also asked Draco. He spent a good while telling the story, but soon caught on and realized that Lindsay's way was way more successful. He started to tell people to go to Blaise Zabini. He was quite busy the whole day.

---

He had her cornered and there was nothing she could do about it. She was trapped. Lindsay left the girls' dorms as she normally did, at some late hour in the night. She crept quietly down the staircase, and into the Common Room. It was usually empty. Tonight, someone was occupying the chair near the fire. She froze. She couldn't let someone see her leaving. It was too late to go back. The person turned around. It was…Harry.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Hello, Harry."

She started to walk across the Common Room. "Wait."

Lindsay stopped suddenly. She then realized it. He was waiting here for her. He was planning to intervene and finally have that talk with her. There was no escaping it. She turned around and looked at Harry. He stood up and motioned for her to sit down across from him. She sighed, walked over, and sat down. Harry sat back down and the two stared at each other for a few moments.

"What is it, Harry?" Lindsay asked, very quietly. She knew what he wanted. She knew and she hated it. She couldn't run away, now. He would make her listen, even if he had to use force.

"Let's talk," He said, looking right at her. Her stomach dropped and her heart started to beat faster. She gave a small nod. "It's nearly April… and you've been with Malfoy since December. You probably think it's a short time, and I would think so too…if it were anyone else. But it's Malfoy. You used to hate him. Remember that time? You called him a foul, evil git. Now, you love him and—"

"Harry, you don't understand," She said, interrupting him. She looked down at the ring on her finger. "You don't understand it at all."

"What? Are you going to tell me the _real _Malfoy is really a nice guy? Is he really on our side?"

"No, I'm not going to tell you that," She said, coldly.

"Lindsay, he has the Dark Mark. He's working for Voldemort. He's doing something here for Voldemort. You know that, right? He won't let anyone know, not even you. No one believes me, but you know that it's the truth."

"Yeah, I'm aware…" She said very, very quietly.

"How can you still be around him knowing that he is doing something for Voldemort?"

"Well, I guess, that sometimes love just doesn't make sense…" She said, her voice losing all confidence. She became very frail.

"You said that you're on my side, right? You said that you'd be on my side, in the end," He said.

"I am."

"You're certainly not acting like it," Harry snapped, coldly. She stared at him, her eyes widening. She could feel her eyes starting to water. It wasn't because Harry was yelling at her. It was because she knew what she had to do.

"What do you want me to do about it?" She asked, fiercely. He stared.

"End it. I don't want you getting hurt. He's not good," Harry said. He was right. They were too different. She just didn't want to end it just yet.

"I—I—"

Harry raised his hand and she quieted down. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like a jerk. I don't want you to think of me as a jerk. I'm your friend and I'm just trying to help."

"I know, Harry," She said, quietly.

"Well, I'm sure you've already tried, but…maybe you could get him to tell you something. I know you said that he won't tell anyone, not even his friends, but maybe by some chance, you can get him to tell you."

She stared. She did want to know what he was up to and maybe she could gain Harry's trust, but she wasn't really keen on doing it. He didn't plan on telling her ever…

"I'll try, I guess…"

Lindsay left the Common Room feeling absolutely dreadful. She looked down once again at the ring on her finger. Draco had given it to her the night before…

_She went to his room as she normally did. He greeted her with a smile. He looked happy, and he hadn't looked happy in a while. He had been looking paler and weaker as of late, but as of now, he had a smile on his face._

_"Hey," He said, and greeted her with a kiss. She was surprised by his good mood._

_"You're quite happy," She said, smiling back to him. The worst thought went through her head, first. 'Maybe he completed his mission for Voldemort…' She hated that she thought things like that, but it happened. He was marked… He was a Junior Death Eater or something like that. 'No, it's not that. I'd expect things to be…not good around here.'_

_"Here, I want to show you something."_

_He walked over to his dresser and opened one of the drawers. He took out something and put it in his hand. He walked back over to her, took her hand, and led her to the bed. The two sat down. She looked at him, confused and not sure what to expect, but eager. He looked at her, still smiling, and then held out his right hand._

_My father bought rings just like these for the Slytherins. Mine has the Malfoy name engraved into it, and of course, the 'S' for Slytherin. My father…he's…well, you know how he is. But my mother, someone you probably wouldn't like, but that's beside the point… my mother gave me this ring." He opened up his left hand, and sitting on his palm was a ring much like the one on his finger. It had a mix of silver and green, and had the circle on top. Yet, there was no Slytherin engraving. "My mother says that this wasn't a present to show how the Malfoys or how Slytherins are better than everyone else. It was supposed to have sentimental value. She told me to give it to someone I love, so I want to give it to you."_

_Lindsay stared at Draco, surprised. "Oh, I cou—"_

_"Don't say 'no' or I won't be happy," He said, grinning. She smiled at him._

_"Fine," She said. He took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. She held out her hand and examined it. "Fits perfectly."_

_"Good," He said with a smile. Although they were dealing with outside issues, they were both reminded of how much they loved each other._

Lindsay stopped for a second. She was crying. _'No,'_ She thought to herself. _'I'm not going to cry anymore.'_ She wiped her eyes, took deep breaths, and headed to the Slytherin Common Room. She entered it, and went up to Draco's room. She stared at the door, and took another deep breath. She opened the door. He was sitting on his bed, waiting for her, as usual.

"Hey," Draco said, as she walked in. She forced a smile.

"Hey," She said. She walked over and sat next to him. He leaned over and kissed her. She was going to miss that. He pulled away and looked at her.

"You okay?" He asked, frowning. She nodded.

"Yeah, fine," She replied, quietly. She looked right at him. "I was just wondering something. Well, not just wondering something. There's something I want to know."

"Okay, what is it?" He asked. Lindsay stared. She didn't know exactly how to word it. She needed to put in words that didn't seem too…Harry Potterish. He would probably shout out something like 'What's Voldemort making you do?'

"I want to know about it. I want to know about your mission," She said, quietly, and looked away from him, and down at her lap. He stared, and chuckled a bit.

"It's come to this, has it?" Draco asked, still chuckling. Lindsay frowned and looked at him.

"Come to what, exactly?"

"I knew it was only a matter of time," He said. He looked straight at her. "So, who put you up to this?"

"What?" She asked, staring.

"I bet it was Potter. Decided to take advantage of your relationship with me. He's been following me like crazy. Almost as bad as Sna—" He quickly stopped short. Lindsay pretended that she didn't notice it, but he was going to say Snape.

"How…how did you know?" She asked, quietly.

"You told me a while ago that we were too different and that we're on different sides. My dad's a death eater, remember?" He said. "It was only a matter of time before one of them was going to make you get information from me. You've never asked before because you knew I wasn't going to tell you."

"I don't know what to say," She said, quietly. "I guess, I'm sort of betraying you."

"No, you've chosen your side. You're on that side, and I'm on this side…" He said. She stared. He sounded as if he had planned this in his head for the longest time.

"Meaning what, Draco?" Lindsay asked, although she could guess the answer.

"Meaning that it's time to break up," He said, quietly. She stared at him. He was proposing the idea of breaking up. She didn't ever think he would be the one to say it. He was the one who tried harder than her to make it work, and now he was proposing they end it. She thought she might burst into tears, but she didn't shed anything.

"I hate it…" She muttered.

"Me too," He admitted. "I hate it, too, but for now, we can't be together. Potter and his friends won't trust you until you've ended involvement with me. I've been practicing Occlumency, but you remember I had a nightmare a while back… if _he_ ever found out my devotion to you, and if I mess up… I just wouldn't want you to get hurt. So, I guess it's kind of less dangerous if we're not together."

"Right, I guess so," She said, quietly. They both had spent the longest time preparing for this moment. Both of them knew it was going to end, sooner or later, and that time had come now. They were both ready for it. There was no big fight or flood of emotions. They were both calm.

Lindsay held out her left hand. "I guess you want this back, then?"

Draco looked down at the ring he gave her and shook his head. "No, I still want you to keep it. I still feel the way I've always felt about you. It's just, we can't be together now…"

"I guess, we'll have to try our best to get over each other…" She said, very quietly. "Maybe … one day… in the future."

"Yeah," Draco said, looking at her. "I promise. We can be together when it's all over."

She gave a nod, but couldn't fully accept his promise. She could never believe it, but she would hope for it, everyday.

"Can we just spend one more night together? Just for one last memory…" She said to him. He smiled, weakly, and nodded. The two laid down on his bed. Lindsay snuggled up against his body, and he held her close. Neither of them slept that night. They just spent time in each other's company, savoring each moment. There wasn't a lot of talking. The words were not necessary. They both had already said what they needed to say, and there was nothing else that could express what they felt.

The sun seemed to rise too soon. They felt the rays of light on their bodies from his small window. They both hated to see that it was light out, but they knew it was time. Lindsay leaned over and gave Draco Malfoy that one last kiss. She stood up, and straightened her clothes out. Draco stood up, and walked her to the door. She stood at it, turned, and looked at him.

"I guess this is goodbye," Draco said. She smiled, weakly.

"Goodbye, then," She said, quietly. "Malfoy."

"Goodbye…" He looked right into her eyes. "Caldwell."

She turned around again and put her hand on the handle. She turned the doorknob and opened the door. Before leaving, she turned around and looked at him.

"Today. Let's fight…" She said. "Just one last fight, for old time's sake. Then we'll back to the way it was… before any of this happened."

He gave a nod, and she was off. She walked, feeling strange. She didn't feel happy or satisfied. She felt sad, but she somehow knew that things were going to be okay. It was going to be okay. She wasn't going to cry like last time. Things were going to be okay.

The day went on as it normally did. Lindsay felt as if she were watching the world go by as she back and did nothing. It was kind of like she was stuck in a dream-state. It seemed so unreal now that she and Draco were no longer together. It was just very different. She realized that this feeling, and this day was something she had experienced before. It was the feeling that things were like before she got herself involved with Draco Malfoy. Things were supposedly back to 'normal'. Yet, she could never think of that as normal. Draco Malfoy fit so perfectly into her life, even though it didn't seem that way. She constantly thought that he made it dysfunctional and very eventful, but it was right. She never felt so alive, and it felt right. From now on, things were going to be quiet.

She didn't really like that, but she really couldn't do anything about it. She would just have to get used to it. Well, Draco wasn't quite gone yet. They agreed to have a public fight, just like they used to do. It would be a good way to clear up any rumors and let those certain people know that it was over. It happened after a very long and boring Potions class.

"Caldwell!" She heard his voice, and almost smiled. It was going to be fun. She turned around, glaring, and held out her wand. Draco, with Crabbe and Goyle following, approached her. He was smirking as he normally did.

"Ooh, look boys. She's trying to be intimidating. I'm so scared…" Draco said, sarcastically. Crabbe and Goyle started to laugh. Of course, all the Gryffindors and Slytherins were gathered around. She looked around quickly to make sure that Blaise, Hermione, and Harry were watching.

"I figured that you were," Lindsay said, still holding out her wand. "I mean, Harry had to save you from you Uncle, but I do believe he had the right idea."

"Oh, yeah?" Draco said, stepping forward.

"Yeah, I do," Lindsay said, glaring up at him. "It would have been a gift to the world if you were killed."

"Guess you're going to have to do that yourself, then?" He said. "Oh, unless you're too afraid."

"I'm not afraid of you," She said, coldly.

"Well, that's a change from the rest of your family. I bet they were cowards. I bet they were scared shit when they were about to be murdered," He said, as nastily as he could. She didn't know if he really meant it or not. It didn't seem to matter now.

"Fuck you."

Lindsay threw down her wand, and punched Malfoy across the face. He was stunned for a second. Everyone was silent.

"Scared, Malfoy?" She asked, loudly and coldly. He just smirked.

"My father really did the world a favor, didn't he? You know the night he—"

His words were cut off and the next sound heard was him going down to the ground. She managed to slam him down and she started to beat on him. Suddenly, everyone became louder. Draco managed to punch her across the face, hitting her nose, causing it to bleed. She continued to hit him, and leaned down close. Her hair hung down from her head, covering her face and his face. She leaned down and kissed him, quickly. It was exactly what he had done to her that day...months ago. He grinned, and then went back to scowling.

A few moments later, she was being pulled off by Seamus Finnigan and Harry Potter. It seemed like déjà vu. It was happening very similar to what happened back then, but today it was for a different reason. She struggled with them and made it seem like she still wanted to hit him, but in the end, she let Seamus and Harry drag her away. They decided to drag her to the hospital wing. Her nose was bleeding pretty badly, but she had that feeling of satisfaction. She had that one last fight with Malfoy and it was pretty damn fun.

Madam Pomfrey was horrified, of course, but fixed her right away. She let Lindsay lay down for a while until her 'mother of all headaches' went away. Harry came later to visit her. He sat down by her bed. He handed her something. It was her wand that she threw aside and he brought her book bag.

"Thanks, Harry," Lindsay said to him.

"Snape came, and he tried to find an excuse to give you detention, but Malfoy kept taking the blame and trying to make Snape give him detention…"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I got nothing out of him. In fact, he very quickly realized what I was doing. He said that you reminded him of Snape. So, I guess Snape is trying to find out what Malfoy's doing as well."

Harry nodded. "The two haven't been on good term's lately." He looked at Lindsay. "So, does all of this mean…"

"Yeah, it's over." She felt a strange feeling as she said it. 'Over…' She thought to herself. She just said it so calmly. She didn't sound sad, although she felt that way. She didn't like feeling calm. She wanted to be a mess and she wanted to be crying, but she wasn't.

"I know you felt, so I'm sorry. I feel like it's my fault."

Not entirely, she wanted to say. She didn't say anything. She wanted to be mad at Harry, but she wasn't. She wasn't mad at Harry or anyone and she didn't like it. She wanted to be emotional, but it just wasn't happening.

"No, it's okay," Lindsay said. The sad part was that she was telling the truth. It was okay. Everything seemed to be okay. Life was going to be okay without Malfoy. "I don't really want to talk about him anymore." She figured this was the last time she would be talking to Harry Potter, so she might as well make this conversation worthwhile. He wasn't really going to be paying attention to her. She had no more purpose since she was no longer with Draco.

"This year I've been in the hospital wing, a lot," She said. "I mean, I've only been in here once before this year for the flu…"

"I've managed to make it in here a few times," Harry said. "First year, it was the Philosopher's Stone incident. Then second year, it was the time that Lockhart removed the bones in my arm."

"Who was the one in here because of the snake thing?"

"Basilisk thing. That was Hermione."

"Basilisk?" Lindsay asked. "That whole thing was confusing. Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets, but she was being possessed by Voldemort."

"It was Tom Riddle's Diary," Harry said. "Tom Riddle was Voldemort. It was his memory."

"Oh…" Lindsay said. "Yep, that is confusing."

Harry gave a laugh. They talked for a while to lighten the mood, but Lindsay couldn't help but think of _him_. Eventually, Madam Pomfrey kicked them out. They walked out of the hospital wing together, but Harry had to go elsewhere and do something else. Lindsay guessed it was to follow Malfoy. He had been doing a lot of that lately.

"Harry, just one thing before you go," Lindsay said to him. He looked at her and nodded. "If you find out what he's doing, I'd really like to know."

"Okay," Harry said. "I'll tell you."

"Thanks."

The two went off in their separate directions. Lindsay went back to the Common Room. She was able to skip one of her classes and it was nearly dinnertime, already. Everyone looked at her when they went into the common room and they turned silent for a moment.

"You okay, Caldwell?" Seamus asked her, loudly. She gave a nod. He grinned. "You got him good. He was bleeding all over the place, and all black and blue."

"I didn't seem him at the Hospital Wing," Lindsay said.

"Snape fixed him," Seamus said, frowning. She gave a nod, and went to sit down in one of the empty chairs. Everyone resumed what they were doing, and she watched. Life was going to be like this from now on. Although everyone was chatting loudly, she couldn't hear a word of it. She used to be the listener. She would listen in on their conversations and know things. Now, she didn't even care about that anymore.

Lavender and Pavarti approached her.

"I guess you and Malfoy broke up," Lavender said, even though she knew that 'they were never going out in the first place.'

"So, you and Malfoy aren't together anymore," Pavarti said, sounding immensely disappointed.

"I guess not."


	15. Fifteen: Changes

A/n: Ah, yes, an update! School is getting closer, and I am getting scared, but enjoy this chapter. Oh, yes, by the way, beware of _Half-Blood Prince_ spoilers.

Thanks reviewers: Kitsune'sfoxykurama, T. Riddle, and phabandphat.

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter FIFTEEN: Changes

Life changed. It wasn't a drastic change. It was a weird change. April rolled in. Everyone was excited because the weather was becoming better. It would soon be turning nice and people would be able to spend their time outdoors. Lindsay wasn't looking forward to that. She sort of lost care for everything. Everything became quiet. It seemed like nothing mattered anymore. No one could understand what it was like. She lost one of the best things in her life, and she wasn't depressed. That feeling alone was unbearable. She didn't cry at all because she lost him. She got her life back. It was what she had wanted, right?

She became a part of the background, once more. Less and less people started to acknowledge her or even pay attention to her. She didn't have much to say anymore. When she was with Draco, whether they loved each other or hated each other, he gave her something that made her life more alive. That element was gone now and she became boring once again. She didn't have her usual poise or confidence. She didn't talk to him and he didn't talk to her. They agreed on that. It was the way it was before. They didn't acknowledge each other. Sometimes, she hoped that her teachers would pair them up together so that she'd have an excuse to talk to him. That didn't happen.

Draco didn't revert back to his usual self. He didn't spend all of his time insulting Harry and making Harry's life difficult. No, he was too preoccupied with Voldemort's mission. He probably spent his free time doing whatever he needed to. In class, he didn't pay attention. He looked kind of anxious, like he could be doing something else. He didn't even do half his homework anymore. He became much more paler and he looked kind of empty. He didn't act like his usual self-centered self. He didn't hang around with any of the Slytherins anymore. He was off by himself.

After the first week of April was through, she was starting to feel different. It was hard to describe her feelings. She missed him a lot. At night, she wouldn't take walks, just in case she ran into him. She would stay in bed, awake all night. She was used to being awake. She couldn't sleep without him. She spent the night, tossing and turning. All Lindsay wanted was the blonde boy next to her. Yet, that was not going to happen and she knew that. It needed to be that way. She needed to get over him. He was the bad guy. He was evil, yet he had another side. Lindsay knew that he had a side that could be loving and sensitive. He had a side of him that was filled up with fear. Yet there was a side of him that liked evil and liked power. He had the dark mark, after all.

After the second week of April, things were progressing more smoothly. She started to hear conversations again. Things weren't as quiet and meaningless as they once were. She decided to occupy herself with something else so she wouldn't think of Malfoy a lot. Her grades improved drastically. She had a lot more free time. She spent all that time writing better essays, and actually putting effort into her work. She had never done that before, especially when she was with Malfoy. She could see that things were going to be okay. The more time she spent away from him, the better she felt.

At the start of the third week, she realized that she had survived two weeks without Malfoy. It was a weird feeling and a weird thought, but it meant that she could do it. She could get over Draco Malfoy and life wasn't going to be pathetic and meaningless without him.

Lindsay went down to the library to start on her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. She found a few books that seemed to be about her topic, and started to skim through them. Her paper was on dementors. She remembered them from their third year at school. They were quite creepy. The dementors joined You-Know-Who at this point. She imagined them out there, right now, sucking people's souls out

The quiet life was boring. She hadn't had a conversation with anyone in ages. Dementors were boring, as well. All her subjects were boring. She used to like Defense Against the Dark Arts, back when Lupin was their teacher. Oh, and she liked Moody, but he turned out to be an imposter or something. Hogswarts was such a messed up school. Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Sirius Black, Triwizard Tournament, Ministry of Magic interference, and six different Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. She hadn't been apart of any of these things, but they happened around her.

"Dementors are…stupid..." She muttered to herself.

"'ey, Caldwell."

She sighed and looked up from her book. Standing in front of her table was Pansy Parkinson.

"Yeah?" She asked, not even bothering to insult her.

"I hope you're happy. Draco told me that he doesn't 'appreciate my advances and would prefer it if I stopped'," Pansy said, bitterly. Lindsay stared up at Pansy.

"You're telling me this because?" Lindsay asked, confused.

"Oh, come on. We all know about you and Draco," Pansy said, putting her hands on her hips. Lindsay's heart rate rose. _'It was that Blaise…wasn't it!'_

"Right…" Lindsay said, sarcastically. "So, you're saying that Draco told you that we had some kind of relationship?"

"Well, no, but it's soo obvious," Pansy said. Lindsay just stared at her. Okay, no one told her, so it would be easy to handle this.

"You have the best reasoning, Parkinson," Lindsay muttered, sarcastically.

"Come on, just admit it," Pansy said. Lindsay just gave her a look. Pansy suddenly pointed to her hand. "Why else would you have that?"

Lindsay looked down at the ring. She hadn't taken it off since Draco gave it to her. 'Shit,' She thought. She hadn't made up a story for having that yet. No one asked. They just didn't notice. Where was Blaise Zabini when she needed him?

"What?" That was all she managed to come up with to stall for time.

"The Slytherin ring. You don't even deserve to wear it. You're a blood traitor," Pansy said. _'Yes, I'm saved!'_

"Slytherin ring, eh?" Lindsay said. She held out her hand. "See any 'S' there?"

Pansy glared. "No," She muttered.

"So, if you'll excuse me, I'll be working on my essay now," Lindsay said. Pansy shot a glare, but stormed off a moment later. She smiled to herself and continued with her essay. He probably told Pansy that because he was too busy with Voldemort's mission. She didn't really like that encounter though. She didn't want to be bothered by Slytherins. That reminded her of Draco.

She found it surprisingly easy to slip back into the world of dementors as opposed to spending her time thinking about him. It was strange that she no longer dwelled on him. It actually made her kind of sad, but she had an essay to finish.

By the third week, she was doing pretty alright. She made a new friend, who was in the library just as much as she was. It was Ernie Macmillan, who was in her year. He was in Hufflepuff. One day, he just asked her for help with his transfiguration essay. Transfiguration was her best subject. She helped him with his essay, and he helped her with Potions. He was so worried about school, and reminded her of Hermione. He wanted the best grades. She was trying to improve her grades, so the concern of grades was something they had in common. He actually thought that she was smart, and she always told him that he was gravely mistaken. Then he would tell her that she 'had potential.'

The fourth week came as a shock to Lindsay. Basically because she thought she wouldn't make it this far without Draco Malfoy. In fact, life had been going quite normal. She was still having a lot of trouble sleeping. Her bed was still feeling empty, but once in a while, she was able to sleep. She could go longer than ten minutes without thinking about him. She no longer stared at him in classes and wondered what he was doing, nowadays. Okay, she still did that, but not as much.

She was in the library with Ernie Macmillan who asked her to check his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. She looked over it.

"Yeah, it's fine," Lindsay said, and handed it back to him.

"Are you sure?" He asked. He looked down at it. "I'm not really sure this paragraph sounds right. I mean, I know what the effects are, but I'm not really sure I explained this well."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. He would usually go on for an hour or so about this. He was a perfectionist. "It's perfect. I swear. It's as good as Hermione's work."

"Okay," He mumbled, and put it away. He would probably go back to it later and read it over and over until he was sure it was perfect. The problem with reading it over and over is that you often find mistakes that don't exist. He looked over at her. "How did you do with your Potions essay?"

"Top grade," She replied. "But I can tell Snape hated to do that."

"He hates giving out good grades, unless it's to Slytherins…" Ernie said, frowning. "He especially favors Malfoy, who I think would otherwise do bad in potions."

She didn't want to defend Malfoy and tell Ernie that he actually was pretty good in Potions. He had his strong points. He told her how he had learned Occlumency well. He was bad at Transfiguration, though. She didn't say anything, and just nodded in agreement. Although, as of late, Draco Malfoy was not doing well in any of his classes. He was getting detentions in all of his classes for not doing half of his homework. His grades were dropping drastically and he showed no interest in any thing anymore. But he was no longer her concern any more.

"Well, I've got to go…and…do something," Ernie said, suddenly. She knew that he was going to go recheck all his essays in private.

"Alright," She said as he gathered his things. "See ya."

He left the library, and she chuckled to herself. He was such a creepy perfectionist. She left the library not too long after he did, and headed back to the Common Room.

_"Hey, hand it over."_

_"No, I think I'll keep this for myself. I do need a good grade in that class…"_

_"Give it back…"_

Lindsay couldn't help, but go in the directions of the sound. She was quite curious to see what was happening. She saw the figures of Ernie Macmillan and Theodore Nott. Theodore Nott had Ernie's essays in his hand and wouldn't give them back. With a sigh, Lindsay whipped out her wand.

"Pertrificus Totalus."

Nott was suddenly in an unexpected full-body lock and fell to the floor. Ernie took his essays and looked at Lindsay.

"Thanks," He said, grinning. She grinned back.

"Any opportunity to hurt Slytherins is a good one."

The fourth week was the same as the previous three weeks, and then suddenly it was the beginning of the fifth week, and it was May. It was unbelievable that she made it through a month without even talking to him. She thought about him a lot, and she stared at him, a lot. She constantly was wondering about what he was doing and how he was. He didn't look his best but she never asked him about it. It was better if they didn't talk. It helped ease the pain. She still didn't cry at all. Life did seem empty without him, but she was doing very well.

It was an ordinary day in May. Lindsay was walking back to her Common Room after class. Suddenly, she heard her name being called.

"Lindsay, wait up!"

She turned around to see Ernie Macmillan. It was obvious what he wanted. He wanted her to check all of his essays over and over again. She wasn't in the mood for doing work after a long and boring class of History of Magic. She ran into the nearest girls' bathroom. She closed the door, and let out a sigh of relief. She saw a couple of first years washing their hands. They looked at her, and then left a minute later. She was probably safe for now. She walked into the bathroom and went to wash her hands. She turned on the faucet and looked into the mirror. Suddenly, she heard something behind her. She turned and looked around. Moaning Myrtle appeared from one of the stalls, which was surprising, considering this wasn't her usual haunt.

"Jeez, you scared me," Lindsay said, looking at the ghost.

"Did you hear what happened?" She asked. Lindsay frowned and shook her head. "Draco Malfoy was nearly murdered!"

Lindsay's stomach did a turn and her heart suddenly stopped. "Wh-what?"

"It's true," Myrtle said with emphasis. Lindsay stared.

"What happened?"

"Well, he was talking to me as he usually does. He started crying and sobbing, and I was comforting him. Suddenly, Harry Potter comes out of nowhere, yells some spell, and Draco was suddenly slashed and bleeding, and he fell to the ground. He was saved, thanks to me. Some teacher heard my screaming, came in and helped him."

Lindsay stared. She doubted that Harry attacked him offensively. Well, the truth be told, Harry had been acting a little crazy lately.

"So, he's okay?" Lindsay asked. Myrtle nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't expect I'll be seeing him soon. It's a pity, it is. I'm the only one that really understands him."

Lindsay stared. Why was Draco confiding in a ghost? She wanted some answers. "How long has he been coming to see you?"

"That's none of your business. What do you care?" She snapped. Lindsay glared.

"How long?"

"Probably since fall. Why do you care?"

"I'm his—" She stopped in her sentence. She was about to say girlfriend. Her voice became more weak and feeble. She dropped it to a whisper. "I'm his friend."

Myrtle stared at her for a few moments, as if studying her. "Ho-ho!" She suddenly said, making Lindsay jump. "I know who you are! You're that disgusting girl who broke his heart!"

Lindsay stared. Had Draco actually used the word 'disgusting'? And could it really be considered 'breaking his heart' when it was a mutual decision. She felt kind of weird. He had been confiding in Moaning Myrtle, a ghost, even during their relationship. She felt discomforted that he didn't feel he could talk to her at all.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lindsay mumbled. She headed towards the door. She heard Myrtle saying negative things about her, but she ignored them. She knew what she had to do now. It was time to pay Draco Malfoy a little visit.


	16. Sixteen: Sectumsempra

A/n: Uh, heh… Oops… I bet you thought I was dead. I return. It is apparent that school has started. It's …horrible. I have no time anymore. Sorry about the long delay… Thanks to all the reviewers.

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter SIXTEEN: Sectumsempra

Lindsay was hesitant about it at first. What would she say? It was going to be so awkward. She hadn't talked to him in a month. He had probably forgotten about her or how much she actually cared. She still did care for him, and that's why she never took off the ring he gave her. It was going to be a weird experience, but for an odd reason, she was looking forward to it. She wanted to hear his voice again. She wanted him to look at her. She missed him a lot. So, it was a good opportunity to talk to him.

She walked towards the Hospital Wing. As she walked in, she saw Pansy come out. It was too late. Pansy already spotted her. She walked right up to her, glaring.

"What are you doing here?" Pansy asked, bitterly. Lindsay frowned and stared.

"Well, generally, when I'm not feeling well, this is the place I tend to go," Lindsay said, crossing her arms. Pansy flushed with anger. Lindsay loved to make her feel stupid.

"You're not here to visit him?" She asked, accusingly. Lindsay gave her a puzzled look.

"Who now?"

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Ugh, never mind then," Pansy said, storming off. Lindsay smirked to herself. Pansy was right. She was coming to visit Malfoy, but it was better if no one knew. She walked into the hospital wing. Draco Malfoy was laying down in one of the beds. She quietly walked up to him. She saw that his eyes were closed. He was sleeping. That's probably why Parkinson left. Well, she didn't feel much for coming back later. She stood next to his bed and looked down.

"You awake?" She asked, softly, hoping that he was, by some chance.

"You're not Pansy," He mumbled, and opened his eyes. He stared up at her. "Thought I recognized your voice."

She sat down in one of the chairs next to his bed, and he watched her as she did so.

"So, I heard that you were nearly murdered and I had to come see this for myself," Lindsay said, looking at him. He smiled.

"Bet you were disappointed when you heard Potter didn't finish me off," Draco said. Lindsay chuckled.

"Maybe a little," She joked. "So, why were you 'sleeping?'"

"Well, Parkinson came and went on for an hour about how glad she was that I'm alright, so I decided that if I pretended to drift off to sleep hoping she would leave. She did," Draco said. "Well, anyway, I see my story has spread around the school." He seemed quite proud of himself. Typical Draco. "So, who told you?"

"Moaning Myrtle," She replied, narrowing her eyes. Draco stared, and then looked away, suddenly.

"Oh."

"Yeah, she said that you were viciously attacked by Harry Potter for no reason," Lindsay said. "For some odd reason, I'm not entirely sure that's true."

"No, it is," Draco assured. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, say I'm Harry Potter. I've been stalking…er…watching Draco Malfoy forever trying to find out what he's been doing. I stumbled upon him in a bathroom, crying, and confessing things to Moaning Myrtle. I'm not exactly going to attack him. I'm going to listen for information."

"She said I was crying?" Draco asked, reddening.

"Yeah. Were you?"

Draco mumbled something that sounded a little like 'yes'. They were quiet for a second.

"Look, I can explain about Myrtle," He said, suddenly. She raised her hand to silence him.

"No, that's okay. I'm not really interested in that. I'm more interested in what actually happened," Lindsay said, quickly, although she was interested in why he had been talking to Myrtle all these months. "So, Harry sees you crying. Then you suddenly see him, somehow. Maybe you turned around or maybe Myrtle saw him."

"Mirror…" He mumbled, quietly.

"Ah, you look in the mirror and see him. So, you turn around and try to curse him. You two spend thirty seconds or so, cursing each other. So, of course, you start to use some crazy dark magic."

He gave her a look.

"Oh, come on. Don't deny it. You tried to use dark magic on me," She said. He just stared. "So, he uses some spell that causes you to bleed."

"It was something called sectumsempra. It felt like I was being slashed by a sword, and suddenly I was bleeding on my chest. Snape said I'll have a scar now."

"Snape?"

"After Potter used the spell, Myrtle started screaming like there was no tomorrow and Snape came. He healed the wound, but it wasn't entirely fixed. He helped me to the hospital wing."

"I wonder why he used dark magic on you…" Lindsay said, aloud. "Jeez, what curse were you doing that made him use dark magic?"

"Well, first we just battled nonverbally and then I tried to use a…" His voice trailed off. He obviously didn't want to make himself the bad guy in the story. He was supposed to be the victim.

"Oh, no worries. I'll just ask Harry later."

Draco shot her a glare, but she just smiled. They were silent for a few minutes thinking. It was awkward. Lindsay could feel all her old feelings surfacing. They never left, and were always there, just hidden. Draco was obviously feeling the same way. It was so good to hear his voice again, and it was good to joke around again. She had to remember that they broke up for a reason. They were just silent for a minute. It was uncomfortable, but comfortable at the same time. It was just weird.

"So, you were crying," Lindsay said, quietly. "Does that mean things aren't going well?"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, does that mean things are going well with your…you-know-what?"

He stared. "Oh, like I'm going to answer. You're probably going to go report to Potter, after this. Tell him all you know, right?"

She glared at him, and stood up. "No. He's a big boy and he was there. I'm sure he could figure out these things all by himself."

"But I can see you're still trying to gain his approval. Maybe if you get him information, he'll pay attention to you again," Draco sneered, nastily. "That's what you want, isn't it?"

She couldn't believe him. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"It'll be the most attention you'll get since we br—"

"Shut up," Lindsay snapped. She glared at him and started to head away. "I can see coming here was a mistake. Forgive me for actually caring about you."

Draco's eyes widened. He raised his hand. "Wait, don't leave yet."

She stopped and stared at him, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry," He said. "I didn't mean to say that. It just came out…"

She stared at him, but ended up sitting back down. They were silent for a moment. He looked over at her.

"Are you happier?" He asked. She looked at him, confused. "I mean, without me. Is it better?"

"Not better or happier. More boring," Lindsay replied, quietly. He was looking at her as if she had changed her appearance.

"Not wearing a skirt, I see," He said, glancing at her lap. He looked back at her. She was frowning.

"No, not anymore," She said, quietly. There was a coldness to her voice. She was bitter at him, now. "Why should I?"

"You're still wearing the ring…" He also observed. She looked down at her hand and stared at it for a while.

"Yeah, in many ways, I still feel the same as I did when you gave it to me," She said.

"I'm glad you still have it," He said. She gave a small nod. They suffered another awkward and uncomfortable silence. After a few minutes, Draco spoke again. "I still think about you, you know. I know you think I don't think about you at all, but I do."

Lindsay didn't say anything, but just looked at him. He looked pale and weak in his current state. His blonde hair hung from his head, and his eyes were tired. He looked weak, and he didn't have his usual poise. She kind of felt bad. In many ways, he looked totally different. He changed in just this month. Lindsay looked the same. She lost the part of her that made her life exciting. She lost the light in her brown eyes, and just looked kind of plain. She was growing her brown hair out. She knew that Draco liked it long, and so she was growing it. She would never say aloud that it was for him. They were supposed to be over.

She stood up.

"I better go."

"Okay," Draco said, softly. Lindsay walked over to his bed, leaned over, and kissed him on his forehead. She then walked away and left the hospital wing. She went into an empty bathroom, and cried. She cried because he was hurt, and cried because he was okay. She missed him a lot, and she wondered if that was the last talk she was going to have with him. She hated that she needed an excuse to see him now that they were broken up, but it's the way it had to be. She knew that she was going to be thinking about him a lot now that she had actually talked to him.

Lindsay was glad to hear that he still thought about her. He did seem preoccupied with his mission, but once in a while, he would think about her. It was an awkward talk, and it was very uncomfortable. They talked as friends for the most part, but they did have that small argument. It hurt to hear him say those things about her, but she didn't really care. She was just glad that they fought over something. But most of all, she was glad that they were still in love.

After she was done crying and after her eyes were no longer red, she went to the Gryffindor Common Room. Luckily, Harry Potter was there. She wanted to hear his side of the story. He was sitting there, quietly, with Ron and Hermione. She walked to him.

"Hey, Harry. Congratulations, I heard that you nearly murdered Draco Malfoy," Lindsay said. He looked at her, and wasn't sure whether to smile or glare. He just frowned. Usually, Harry was happy when it came to hexing Malfoy, but he looked kind of distraught.

"Who have you heard it from?" Harry asked, quietly.

"Moaning Myrtle," She replied.

"Oh."

"Look, there's something I want to ask you," She said to him. She gave a look to Hermione, who understood that the following would have content that Ron was not supposed to know about.

"Er, Ron, could you help me do something?" Hermione asked. Ron gave a nod with a confused look on his face, and followed Hermione away. Lindsay took one of their seats.

"So, do you hate me now that I nearly murdered your boyfriend?" Harry asked, coolly.

"Ex-boyfriend," She corrected, although she wished it was the other. "I was interested in why he was crying…"

"Have you seen him then? Did he give you some stupid story?" Harry asked. She couldn't tell him that she went to see Malfoy. He probably wouldn't be very happy. So, she shook her head.

"No, I haven't seen him nor do I plan to. I heard the story from Myrtle," Lindsay said. "She told the story to make it seem like Malfoy was the victim, but I know you wouldn't randomly attack him."

"Well, I went in and heard him. He was crying. Saying something about how he couldn't do it, and that Voldemort was going to kill him. Then he noticed me, turned around and tried to hex me, so I tried to fight back," Harry started, very quietly. He looked at Lindsay, who was listening intently. "Then he attempted the Cruciatus Curse on me…So, I defended myself with that spell. I didn't know what it would do. It was scary. I thought I killed him. He was shaking and he was bleeding like crazy…"

Harry's voice trailed off. He seemed freaked out by the whole incident.

"It's okay, Harry. I mean, he was going to use that curse…" She said, quietly. She suddenly felt more on Harry's side. Just because Harry had seen him crying, he was going to try and use the Cruciatus Curse on him. Harry seemed shaken, and Malfoy would be getting all the attention he could ever wish for. Malfoy wasn't that bad off and maybe she should feel bad for Harry Potter instead. She was stuck in another uncomfortable silence. "Well, I'll see you later, Harry…"

She left him to be by himself, and she went to be by herself.

---

Things were quiet once more. The story about Draco and Harry last for quite a while, yet he eventually got better and resumed his work for Voldemort or whatever he did. Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup and suddenly Harry became happier. It was probably due to the fact that he was dating Ginny Weasley. Harry still seemed to be obsessed with what Draco Malfoy was actually doing, but he tried not to let anyone know that. Lindsay lived the quiet life again. That was the most exciting event in May. In fact, May ended quite quickly. She didn't talk to him again after that. Yet, she still watched him from afar. He used his injury as an excuse to get attention from everyone, yet he soon resumed his secrecy and gazing off in class. He was paler everyday and he looked more and more apprehensive.

She wanted to talk to him again, but she decided not to. It wouldn't be best. That talk brought back enough of those feelings. It wasn't a good idea to do that again. She knew in no time that if they did that, they would be snogging. She wanted that. She wanted to be with him again, but it just wasn't possible. It wasn't right. He was the enemy, she constantly reminded herself. The enemy. She couldn't be with him until he ceased to be her enemy. She didn't believe that day would ever come, but she wished for it everyday. Two months apart from him was hell enough. She was okay most of the time. She was doing well considering how much she wanted him.

The end of the school year was upon them. The weather was very well. Everyone spent their days outside, and the common room became more empty. Everyone started to study for their exams. Lindsay became Ernie's study companion again. All he wanted to do was study, even with the nice weather outside. So, she often dragged him outside and they studied out there. She hated studying. It was the most boring thing out there to do. It was even more boring than writing essays.

She resumed wearing skirts again, not because she was over Malfoy, but because the weather was quite hot. Everything seemed so peaceful. There wasn't any trouble yet. It was the end of the year, and everyone was secretly waiting for the part when Voldemort attacked Hogwarts and Harry escaped, but it didn't seem to be coming. Well, there was still time for that. It was very close to end of the school year. Everyone was eager for the summer, but at the same time, they would be missing Hogwarts.

Lindsay always liked summer. It meant no schoolwork. She would return to the muggle world, and she would watch TV and listen to muggle music. She would go to muggle places like the arcade or the movie theater. She would be home with her family and her brother. Yet, at the same time, she was dreading it. Summer meant that she would not see Draco Malfoy for two months. She had grown accustomed to staring at him in class and that's how she kept herself from being totally unhappy without him. She would have to go two months without seeing him or watching him. It didn't prove to be very pleasant. She didn't even know if he was going to return next year. He'd probably be too busy being a death eater or something like that.

That is…if he survived. She had the constant fear that Voldemort would kill him for failing or whatever. Harry told her that he had been crying and saying that if he didn't do it, Voldemort was going to kill him. She spent a lot of time worrying about him. She didn't want him to succeed. She knew that if he did, it would be bad news, but at the same time, she needed to him to succeed, and she needed him to be alive. She hadn't thought about it a lot before, but now it was in her face. The end of the year is when the big showdowns usually happen.

For now, she tried to concentrate on end of the year exams.

It was a late June night, and Lindsay was once again in the library 'studying.' She was actually watching Ernie study. The two of them had actually become friends, and not just study buddies. Although, that's what Ernie wanted to do most of the time. Sometimes they would talk about things that weren't related to school, but that was seldom.

"I'm pretty tired," Lindsay said, closing her book. "I'm heading to bed."

She stood up and started to pick up her books.

"You're right. Sleep is a good idea," Ernie said, also starting to pack up. They grabbed their books and left the library. They separated to go back to their own towers. Lindsay entered the Gryffindor Common Room. There were still people up. It seemed to be Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and that gang. She ignored them and went up to the dorms. In the first time for seven months, she passed out on her bed without any tossing and turning.

Just two hours later, she was awake. She could feel the panic in the air. Lavender and Pavarti were up and about. She rubbed her eyes, and looked at them.

"What's going on? Why is everyone awake?" She asked. Lavender looked over at her.

"The Dark Mark!" She exclaimed with fear in her voice. "It's been cast."

"Wait, Death Eaters are in the school?" She asked. They didn't hear her. They were too busy being afraid. Suddenly, a thought hit her. 'Draco…' She knew this was the work of Draco Malfoy. She didn't even bother to change out of her pajamas. She put on her shoes, grabbed her wand, and headed out.

"Where are you going?" Pavarti called after her. She ignored her. The Common Room was slightly crowded with everyone huddling in fear. She pushed past everyone. She had to find Draco and stop him. She didn't know where he would be. She would try to find the Dark Mark first. She headed towards there, when she heard some noises. She crept quietly around the corner, and peeked from behind. She saw a cloaked figure fighting someone else. It was a Death Eater, and an auror. She continued down the hallway, unnoticed by the duelers. It was suddenly dark and very quiet. She heard approached closer to the tower where the Dark Mark was set. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and held out her wand. She didn't use 'lumos'. She did not want to be noticed.

_"Stupefy!"_

A moment later, she was hit from behind with a stunning spell. She didn't see who did it, but the voice sounded familiar. She closed her eyes and entered the world without consciousness.


	17. Seventeen: Stuck with Malfoy

A/n: Woohoo, an update. And under five years. : ) I'm alive and have a break from school. Go weekends! Anyway, I've been big with the cliffhangers lately. What's up with that? Well, read and review.

Thanks reviewers for staying with me although I'm not updating as much. Thanks phabandphat and Kurama'sfoxykitsune. You guys rule.

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter SEVENTEEN: Stuck with Malfoy

Lindsay slowly came to. She opened her eyes and everything was blurry. She rubbed them and looked around. She was lying on a cold stone floor. She sat up and looked around. _Where the hell am I?_ She realized she was in a cell of some kind. There were black bars and she was apparently locked in. The next thing she did was look for her wand. It was lying beside her on the floor. She picked it up and slowly stood up. She looked around. Well, she seemed to be in a cell. Outside the cell, there was a staircase. There was very little light where she was, and it was kind of murky.

"A basement… I'm in a basement…" She said to herself. She looked down at herself for any injuries, but she found that she was not wearing the same clothes as before. She was wearing a pair of jeans. She bent down and examined them closely. Above one of the pockets, there was writing sewn in that read For Wizards By Wizards. She wondered how she came to be wearing jeans for wizards when she owned not a single pair. She was wearing a white button-down shirt and a gray vest over it, much like her school uniform. The thing was there was no sign of the Gryffindor emblem. There wasn't even a Hogwarts emblem. These weren't her clothes and she didn't know why she was wearing them.

Lindsay suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She wasn't in Hogwarts anymore. She didn't know where the hell she was. Luckily, she could Apparate. She didn't have her license for her birthday seventeenth birthday wasn't for a week, but she figured it was okay since it was an emergency. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. Nothing happened. She tried over and over again. Nothing, again and again.

"Great, I'm in one of those places where I can't Apparate or Disapparate," She muttered to herself. "I should at least get out of the cell."

She touched the cold, black bars and shook them. They seemed to be ordinary bars. She took out her wand and pointed them at the lock.

_"Alohamora."_

She didn't know if it worked. She stood back and kicked the bars. The cell door flew open. She chuckled to herself. "The world's worst cell…"

She continued to hold out her wand and headed up the stairs. The last thing she remembered was being stunned. That meant that a Death Eater probably stunned her, and she had probably been taken prisoner or something along the lines of that. But there was no one in sight. She opened the basement door, and stepped out. She was suddenly in a house. Well, it seemed to be more than a house. She stood in a long hallway. She saw the colors of green, silver, and black splashed through the hallway. _'Yep…Death Eater. Proud Slytherin…'_ She walked down the hallway, and ended up in what seemed to be a living room or something like that. She looked around. No one was in sight. Where was she and where was the exit to this place? She realized she needed to find a window. If she could find a window she might be able to find out where she was. She walked through the living room area into another area. It had a few bookshelves. She walked toward the shelves. They were filled with dust. She pocketed her wand. She took one of the black, hard cover books from the shelve and held it in her hands. She blew off the dust and looked at the title. It was titled _Slytherin_ followed by some other words she didn't understand. She soon realized it was in Latin. She put the book back, and looked around. It was pretty dusty and dark, and it looked as if no one had been here in years.

She continued on, and found a room with a staircase. She climbed the staircase, hoping to find a room with a window. At the top, was a long hallway. Once again, she was walking down a hallway. At the end, though, she could see light. She rushed towards the light. The hallway ended at an empty room, except for a window. She walked over to the window and looked out of it. It was obviously daylight. The sun was high, and it was probably around noontime. She looked around. She could see a very small town off in the far distance. She was apparently in a mansion of some sort. Outside the house, were an extensive yard and garden, and about a million and one fences. Off in the distance, where the property ended, there was a huge wall surrounding the mansion and its yards of land.

"This is one rich Death Eater," Lindsay said, aloud to herself.

"You could say that," A very cold voice said from behind her. She jumped, and spun around. Standing just a few feet in front of her was Lucius Malfoy, pointing his wand at her. She stared at him. Maybe she could apparate out of here. Yet, could she risk it? He could kill her in a second if he wanted to. "You. What are you doing here?"

She stared, and forced herself to answer, calmly. "I don't know… I just woke up and I was in the basement."

"In the dungeons?" He asked. His wand seemed to be more and more threatening. Lucius Malfoy was bigger than her and more powerful than her. She wouldn't be able to whip out her wand in time to curse him. He had her at his mercy.

"Yes," She replied, quietly. "I was in a cage."

"Oh, and you escaped? Mudbloods and half-bloods are not able to withstand that cage. It's supposed to hurt them slowly and surely," Lucius said.

"I'm not either," Lindsay said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Aha," He said. "So, what is your name, girl?"

She couldn't exactly lie to him, could she? She couldn't let him know that she was a Richmond, but he had gone to school with her family. He would know the name Caldwell. She had no choice but to answer.

"Lindsay Caldwell," She replied, quietly.

"Hmm…" Lucius thought aloud to himself. "I don't recall that as a pureblood name."

He then looked her over. He was studying her, and she did not like it at all. If only there was a way to escape. A way to live…

"Hmm, you look somewhat familiar," He said to her. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with recognition. "Do you know who I am, girl?"

"Lucius Malfoy," She replied.

"And do you know where you are?"

"Well, in a room, cornered by Lucius Malfoy and quite defenseless."

"It's actually quite amusing and ironic," Lucius said. "I've got the only daughter of the traitorous Richmond family at my wrath. You look just like your father."

_'Wonderful,'_ Lindsay thought. _'I resemble a death eater…'_

"Do you know who killed your family?"

"Yes, sir," She replied. "You did."

"Ah, yes, that I did," Lucius said, proudly. "And I am moments away from killing you."

Her heart rate rose drastically and she needed to find a way to keep him talking and keep her living.

"So, did you come here for revenge?" Lucius asked. "I mean, I was in Azkaban, but the Dark Lord finally freed us. Did you decide to wait here and try and kill me to avenge your traitorous family?"

She could stand up to him. She could be like Harry Potter and stand up to him, but she was not quite as lucky. She would not stand up to him and survive. There was only thing to do. Lie.

"No," Lindsay said. "I wasn't sure who I would meet here, but I am glad to have met you. You see, for the longest time, I've been wanting to thank you."

He stared, taken aback. She couldn't believe how smoothly her lie was coming out. It was coming from the top of her head, but it sounded so natural.

"You've done a lot for the Dark Lord's cause, including killing all those muggles and mudbloods," She continued on. "You killed my traitorous family. I can't stand to think about it. Imagine if I was raised by those…those blood-traitors… I would have been just as bad. I'm ashamed to have the Richmond name, and so I changed it. And I wanted to thank you for killing them so I wouldn't be part of the family of blood-traitors."

She knew Lucius Malfoy to be very vain, and he was obviously enjoying the compliments.

"Ah, yes," He said, with satisfaction. "But you still are a Richmond."

"Not anymore. Not since the day you killed them and not me."

"That's right. I remember now. I spared you," Lucius said. "I wanted the last of the Richmonds to have a terrible life."

Lindsay didn't say anything. Her life had actually been better, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"You seem to be more promising than your family, so I will wait a few more minutes before I kill you," He said. She remained silent. "Are you a Slytherin?"

"Of course," She replied, although she was far from that. He would probably kill her if he found out she was a Gryffindor. It was all about survival and she was determined to stay alive. She was quite glad that her vest did not have the Gryffindor emblem. She held out her left hand and showed him the ring that resembled the Slytherin one. She was also quite glad she decided to keep it on.

"Ah, I see," He said, looking at her hand. He looked back at her. "You know my son, then?"

"Yes, I know Draco," Lindsay said.

"How is my son doing? I haven't seen him in so long," Lucius said. Lindsay hesitated for a second.

"He's quite well off. He's grown more handsome this year, and I can see where he got his looks," She said. Lucius smiled, pleased with that comment. She tried not to roll her eyes. _'Jeez…'_ She continued on. "He's also a Death Eater now."

Lucius narrowed his eyes and gave her a look full of disbelief. "Draco is a Death Eater? He's too young for that."

"He has the Dark Mark," Lindsay said. "I've seen it. The Dark Lord gave him some kind of mission. I think he succeeded. There were Death Eaters in the school last night, but I do not know what happened. I woke up here."

"Dark Mark? Mission? What was this mission?"

"He never said to anyone," Lindsay replied. Lucius looked surprised with this news, but also very pleased.

"But Death Eaters in the school? Draco's not as stupid as I thought he was," Lucius said. He looked at Lindsay. "I will let you live a little while longer. Do not try to escape. I will kill you before you even get a chance."

"Okay," Lindsay replied.

"Follow me."

She followed Lucius through the hallway. He had his back turned. Now would be the perfect time to attack him, but she couldn't do. She didn't want to risk it. She had just lied about everything to keep living. She changed all of her beliefs in a second to survive. She knew that a lot of other people would died defending what they believed it. She was just another cowardly Slytherin. Lindsay wasn't going let her life go to waste. She was going to find out as much as she could about Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort. When she did, she would tell Harry Potter and Dumbledore. She might as well make herself useful while she was in midst of the enemy.

They were back in the living room area. Lucius motioned for her to sit down in one of the chairs. She did so.

"I am going to contact Narcissa," He said. "You stay here."

"Er, sir, don't you think the Aurors would look for you here?" Lindsay asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"No. This is not the Malfoy Manor. This is my second residence. The Aurors do not know about this place," Lucius replied. She gave a nod and he walked away. _'Great…I'm stuck here.'_ She looked around at all of the green, silver, and black. There had to be a way out here. She couldn't Apparate. Or, could she? How did Lucius Malfoy appear out of nowhere from behind her? She would be sure to try, but not now. He might come back at any second. He did come back about a minute later.

"Narcissa will be arriving soon," Lucius announced. Lindsay refrained from rolling her eyes. _'Great…two of them.'_ She hoped that 'Narcissa' would be just as stupid as Lucius and fall for her lies. Lucius sat down in one of the chairs across from her. "So, I am quite interested to hear what Draco has been doing. Are you a good friend of his?"

"You could say that," She replied. If only he knew. It would probably be unwise to tell him anything close to that. She remembered Draco said that his father would flip if he found he was dating the daughter of the blood-traitor Richmonds.

"What has he been up to at _that _school?"

Lindsay decided it would be best if she left out the part when Draco was crying. It would also be best to leave out that he's been slacking in everything, and didn't even bother with quidditch anymore.

"Just the usual I suppose. He's very well," She finally replied. Draco hadn't been very well at all and that was just a lie.

"Death Eaters in the school…" Lucius said, quietly to himself. He looked back at Lindsay. "Do you think he's killed Potter?"

She desperately hoped that they wouldn't talk about Harry Potter. The last thing she wanted to do was insult Harry Potter for appearances, but she was kind of hoping to live.

"Oh, I hope so. I can't stand him. Everyone loves him because he's the boy-who-lived. He's the reason that mudbloods and muggles are still around. He stopped the Dark Lord's work. He's Dumbledore's favorite boy… there's another joke… Dumbledore…"

Lucius's eyes glowed. He was quite pleased with the answer. She repeated everything she heard from Draco in the past. He used to say those things, usually after a 'My father said…' It was like Lucius's words coming from her mouth. She, on the other hand, felt like she could throw up. She felt terrible for insulting them.

"You are quite different than your traitorous family," Lucius observed. She put an evil smile on her face, not dissimilar to his. She was quite different from her family, but not in the way he thought she was. She wasn't comfortable being in a huge mansion she couldn't escape out of, alone with an evil Death Eater. She suddenly felt very restless and all she wanted to do was leave. Suddenly, there was a small 'pop' sound and Narcissa Malfoy appeared in the living room, using what looked like Apparition. Lindsay gained hope. She _could_ apparate out of here.

"Oh, Lucius," Narcissa said, once she saw him. She threw her arms around her husband, who looked calm and collected.

"Narcissa, dear, we have company," Lucius said to her. Narcissa followed Lucius's gaze and set her eyes upon Lindsay. She separated from her husband and stared at the girl.

"Who is this?" Narcissa asked, coldly. She glared at the girl who came between her and her husband.

"The only daughter of the Richmonds," Lucius replied with a smirk. Narcissa gaped in horror.

"Why haven't you killed her yet?" Narcissa shrieked. Lindsay just stared, silently. _'Unbelievable! What is it with everyone and wanting me dead?'_

"She interests me, greatly. I would like to keep her around a little while longer. She may be useful," Lucius said. Narcissa glared at Lindsay, but didn't question her husband. Lindsay was feeling quite apprehensive. Everyone wanted her dead… "Now, sit down, dear. Please, tell me what has happened. I missed a lot."

"Dumbledore's dead," Narcissa said. Lindsay's heart stopped. Dumbledore dead? Impossible. He was the most powerful wizard ever. He was great. How did he die? It couldn't possibly be because of…

"Dumbledore dead! It's about time!" Lucius exclaimed, happily. "Did Draco…?"

"He was supposed to," Narcissa said. "Severus did."

Lindsay stared in horror. Snape killed Dumbledore! The very thought of Professor Dumbledore's death was mind numbing. It couldn't be possible, but even more impossible was that Snape killed him. She never liked Snape and Snape never liked her. She sometimes thought him as evil, but never the kind of 'I'm working for the Dark Lord' evil. Well, she did suspect him after Draco mentioned his name, but if he was bad then Dumbledore wouldn't have let him teach. He killed Dumbledore. She felt like everything was falling apart. Lucius looked at her, waiting for her reaction.

"Finally," She said, coldly. "We're rid of that horrible man. Tell me, did the Death Eaters overrun the school?"

Narcissa looked shocked. She did not expect Lindsay to be just like her family. She seemed pleased, though. "Unfortunately, Dumbledore's order people fought off the Death Eaters and they had to escape and leave the castle."

Lindsay let out a mental sigh of relief. Hogwarts was still okay.

"What of Severus and Draco?" Lucius asked. Narcissa turned and looked at her husband.

"They're with the Dark Lord…" She said, very quietly. She suddenly burst into tears and threw herself on Lucius. "Oh, what if _He _thinks that Draco failed? He's going to kill Draco!"

"Now dear, Severus is with him. Severus will convince the Dark Lord that Draco should live," Lucius said, as he patted his wife on the back. Lindsay was still in shock. Dumbledore couldn't be dead. It seemed so surreal. If he was dead, there was no way the good side could win. _Harry Potter… was Harry still alive?_ She doubted Narcissa knew so she did not say anything. Everyone was silent except for the weeping of Narcissa.

"Now, dear, please tell me, what was Draco's mission?" Lucius asked.

"All of it?" She asked, as she sniffed.

"Of course," He said. Lindsay listened intently. She was interested in hearing this.

"But…but the Dark Lord said—"

"Draco is my son."

"Oh, alright, but…" Narcissa looked over at Lindsay.

"Very well," Lucius said. He looked at Lindsay. "We will be back shortly. Do not move."

The two of them disappeared into another room. Lindsay let out a loud sigh. Dumbledore was dead…there would be no more Hogwarts after this. Was anyone else dead? Would Draco die? Being with his family made Lindsay despise Draco Malfoy, but she still had feelings for him. Those feelings would never leave her. She had accepted them, and even cherished them, but now she started to hate having them. She was trying not to judge him by his parents, but he respected them so much, especially his father. She couldn't stand Lucius Malfoy. Why would Draco want to be anything like that man? She would be able to escape soon and go back to Hogwarts, or go home. She didn't want to be here.

She tried hard to listen to what they were talking about. She heard nothing. She waited in that living room that she was coming to hate. She was wondering what was talking them. They hadn't come back yet and she doubted that it would take that long to talk. Maybe she could apparate, rather disapparate now. She didn't want to risk it. She was afraid that they would come back and kill her. The two did come back, and Narcissa looked relatively happier.

"Good news, Lindsay, m'dear," Lucius said, happily. "The Dark Lord spared Draco's life. He will be coming shortly."

She let out a sigh of relief. Draco was alive. Wait, he was coming here? He was with Snape. If Snape came, she would be exposed and then killed.

"Is he coming with Professor Snape?" Lindsay asked.

"No, Severus has other things to do at this moment. Bellatrix is bringing him," Lucius said to her. "You might want to make a good impression on her. Even I cannot control her sometimes…"

Lindsay gave a slight nod. This was going to be quite awkward. What would Draco do when he saw her? Would he expose her for what she really was? Death seemed to be around every corner, and she didn't even know how she got here in the first place. She wanted to leave more than anything at the moment, but the thing that was bugging her the most was the fact that she was still alive. Why hadn't Lucius Malfoy killed her yet? For what purpose was he keeping her alive for? So, what, they shared the same beliefs. Her family is still a family of blood traitors. He should have killed her sixteen years ago, and he passed up his chance to do it again. Lucius Malfoy was quite strange.

Suddenly, two _pops_ were heard from the other room. Narcissa and Lucius rushed forward. Lindsay stood up, but stayed in the living room. She heard the commotion loud and clear.

"Oh, Draco! You're alright!"

"Yes, mother," He replied, timidly, and slightly annoyed. Lindsay's heart began beating fast again, although that never really stopped. That was his voice. The group moved into the living room. As Draco entered and his eyes set upon Lindsay, he froze. His eyes widened and he gawked as if it were Hagrid in his living room. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Lindsay…" He said, quietly. "Is that you?"


	18. Eighteen: Reunited

A/n: Wow, update. Yay for new chapter. This one is angst at it's best. Yay. I just came back from a Halloween party. I was a Slytherin student. It was amazing. Anyway, Happy Halloween.

To the reviewers: _T. Riddle_- School sucks, doesn't it? Thanks for your nice comments.

_Kurama'sFoxyKitsune_- I was having a bad day and then I read your review and it made me smile. You are the best. I love your support. Thanks so much.

_Phabandphat_- Jason Issacs is god. He is perfect as Lucius, I agree.

* * *

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter EIGHTEEN: Reunited

The two stared at each other. The conversation between Bellatrix and Narcissa seemed far away and very unimportant at that moment in time. Draco was in utter disbelief. What was Lindsay doing in his living room?

"Who's this?" Bellatrix asked, suddenly. The two snapped back to reality. Lindsay looked from Draco to Bellatrix. She immediately did not like her, but didn't say anything.

"This is—" Lucius started.

"My name is Lindsay Caldwell," Lindsay quickly said so that Lucius would not go on about how her family were the blood-traitors and she would end up dead. "You must be Bellatrix Lestragne. I've heard loads about you from Draco. Says that you're his favorite aunt. I must say, I respect your work as a Death Eater."

Draco looked extremely confused and bewildered. Bellatrix's expression twisted into a smile.

"I'm glad you've heard of me," She said. That whole family was conceited and self-centered. She gave a hard pat on Draco's back. "You're a wonderful nephew." She looked back at Lindsay. "You friends with Draco?"

"Oh, yeah. We used to go around the school and torture mudbloods for fun," Lindsay said with tons of emphasize. Draco seemed even more confused and surprised. He couldn't believe she said 'mudblood' the way she did. It didn't end there. "I heard you were there when Dumbledore was killed. You've got to tell me all about it. I wish I could have seen the look on the old man's face."

Draco's jaw dropped and the look on his face was similar to one of a deer staring down headlights. Lindsay was trying to get the point across that she was supposed to be bad. Draco hopefully got it. He was in shock, mostly, because she had said those things.

"Ooh, I like this once, Lucius," Bellatrix said. "Where'd you find her?"

"She was wandering in the house. She says she doesn't know how she got here," Lucius said. "But I think she will be staying for a while."

"She reminds me of myself at that age," Bellatrix said to herself, mostly. Lindsay wanted to show all signs of disgust, but just remained silent.

"Oh, Draco," Lindsay said. "You're looking kind of pale."

She approached him and leaned over. In a very soft, soft whisper, she said, "We'll talk later. Play along…"

She leaned back and looked at him. He still looked in shock.

"So, how'd you end up here?" He asked her.

"Oh, I don't know," She replied. "Just woke up in the dungeons, and had no idea where I was. Luckily, your father found me."

Draco started to mouth words. 'Does he know?'

'LATER' Lindsay mouthed back as clearly as she could. Lucius, Narcissa, and Bellatrix engaged in some conversation about the Dark Lord and Snape, but Lindsay was no longer listening. She and Draco were staring at each other.

"Draco, honey, show Lindsay to one of the guest rooms," Narcissa said. The two stopped staring at each other and looked at Draco's mother.

"Am I guest now, Mr. Malfoy?" Lindsay asked.

"We will treat you as a guest for now, but you are still being held against your will as far as I'm concerned," Lucius replied. "There's still more I want to find out. As for now, there are more pressing issues."

She gave a nod.

"Oh, and don't try to Apparate or Disapparate anywhere. You can't unless you're part of the Malfoy family," Lucius said. _'Well, that option's out…'_

Just a few moments later, she was following Draco Malfoy to a different part of the mansion. He led her upstairs, and into a long hallway of many doors. He pointed to the first one.

"That's my parents' room."

He started to walk along and she followed. He pointed to another door.

"That's my room."

They walked just a few meters further and stopped at another door.

"This is your guest room," Draco said. He walked up to it, opened the door. She went inside the room and looked around. There was a lot of green and black. The room was plain, but quite big. A bed, a dresser, a bureau with a mirror, a wardrobe, and a table. Draco entered the room and closed the door behind him. He cleared his throat loudly, and she turned around. He had his wand out and it was aimed at her.

"Okay," Draco said. Lindsay's eyes were on the wand. "Let's talk. Who are you and what have you done with the real Lindsay?"

She laughed. "I am the real one. Come on. Remember the time we went torturing the mudbloods?"

He did not find this amusing. "Okay, I'm going to give you one more chance to answer my question. Who are you and what have you done with the real Lindsay?"

"Draco, I _am_ the real Lindsay," She said. He frowned.

"Prove it," Draco said. "Tell me something only you would know about me."

She sighed. "Okay, then. You went crying to Myrtle whenever the bloody hell you felt like."

"Everyone knows about Myrtle. You could have heard," Draco said.

"Fine. You get really angry whenever anyone insults your mother or father," Lindsay said.

"Anybody would," Draco said.

"I wouldn't," She said, crossing her arms. Draco stared, studying her, and then finally lowered his wand.

"That's true," He said. "So, why are you here?"

Lindsay reached into her pocket, and pulled out her wand. She pointed it at the door. _"Muffliato."_

"Good, now, no one will over hear us," She said as she pocketed the wand. She went and sat down on the bed. Draco took a seat in the chair that was next to the bureau. "I think, we need to go back to last night. For the first time in God knows how long, I was able to fall asleep peacefully. Yet, a couple of hours later, I was awoken by the shrieking and panicking Lavender and Pavarti. They said something about the Dark Mark and Death Eaters. I knew it had to be you. So, I came to find you in my pajamas, mind you. The next thing you know, I was stunned. When I woke up, I was here in a cell down in your basement in different clothes. I kind of wandered the house, and then I was cornered by your dear father. He recognized me and was ready to kill me. So, I decided that if I was exactly like him, how could he kill me? So, I fed him crap about 'mudbloods', 'muggles', and sucked up to him the best way I knew how. I told him good things about you and how I hated Dumbledore and Harry. He decided to let me live."

She paused and looked at Draco. He was trying to avoid eye contact, and so, she continued the story. "Your mother came and told us that Snape killed Dumbledore. _You _were supposed to do it, and she was worried that Voldemort…"

Draco winced. She looked at him for a second and rolled her eyes. "Excuse my language. She was worried that the _Dark Lord_ was going to kill you. He obviously didn't. So, here we are…"

Draco was very quiet.

"I want to leave, but there's no apparition allowed in the house for me…" Lindsay muttered. "If only I could find the bastard who stunned me…"

Draco made a quiet noise. Lindsay looked at him.

"I stunned you," He said, quietly, and this time, he made eye contact. "You were always better at dueling, so I stunned you so you wouldn't get in the way. With the help of another Death Eater, we transfigured your clothes. And then I had other things to do—" Lindsay coughed and it sounded oddly like _'Kill Dumbledore'_. "—so, I asked this Death Eater to take you somewhere safe so you wouldn't get here. I never in a million years meant here, but I guess the stupid Death Eater thought that this was safe enough. A closet would have been fine…"

She stared at Draco for the longest time. They did not speak or move.

"So, do you hate me?" Draco asked, softly. Lindsay stared at him. In her mind, she wanted to scream at him. _'How could you ask that question! You tried to kill Dumbledore! You're the reason I'm stuck here. You're the reason I have to be someone I'm not. You're the reason why I have to act like I'm Lucius or Bellatrix. They were right about you. You're evil. I bet you laughed when he died! I hate you! I HATE YOU!'_

She did not say any of that. She glanced down at her lap, and her ring gleamed. That ring…

"I don't know," Lindsay said, quietly.

"Okay, I understand," Draco said. He stood up and looked at her. "You're the last person I want hating me, but if you do, then you do. I'm not going to hold it against you. I'm not going to tell them what you're really like. I'll play along. I don't want you to die. Just please don't shut me out."

She stood up and walked over to him. She stood only inches in front of him and looked him in the eye. His eyes were tired. He hadn't slept in days or something like that. His skin was extra pale. His hair hung messily from his head. He looked extremely tired, and it was kind of sad.

"Draco," Lindsay said, quietly, but sternly. "I want you to tell me everything that happened."

Draco's eyes widened in horror and he backed away, hitting the bureau as he did so.

"No," He said, shaking his head. "No, I'm not going to tell you."

"You are. You're going to tell me everything that happened. Everything you did, everything you said."

"No, I don't want you to hear any of it. I don't want you to hate me more than you already do."

"Too bad. I want to hear it. I think for once, I deserve to hear the truth."

The two stared at each other for a long while. They were silent. Finally, Draco let out a sigh. He grabbed the chair, and pushed it out of his way. He leaned against the bureau and looked down at the floor.

"For the longest time, I've been trying to repair a certain closet in Hogwarts. Warrington was stuck in it a while, and that's when I found out that it was a pair. The other being in Borgin and Burkes, a store in Knockturn Alley…"

He started to tell her all that he had been doing, and had been using the Room of the Requirement for more than snogging. He told her when he finally got it fixed, and how he found the right time to bring the Death Eaters into the school. _"I had Madam Rosmerta under the Imperious Curse, and we—"_ Then, he started to go into detail about the previous night…the night Dumbledore died. He told her how he finally confronted Dumbledore. He repeated their conversation almost word for word. It was sickening to hear, but she didn't say anything. He said it so remorselessly. He didn't hold back when he told her that he laughed and called him these things. The only thing that was keeping her calm was the fact that he didn't kill Dumbledore. He couldn't do it. Snape was the one who killed Dumbledore.

It turned silent. Lindsay could no longer suppress the emotions anymore. Tears started to flow from her eyes, and she made no sounds. Finally, she took out her wand and pointed it at Draco. She could tell the whole incident troubled him. What he needed was someone to be there for him… He had no one, and she couldn't do it. She saw what he needed, but she couldn't do it.

"Get out," She growled, pointing her wand at him. He just looked at her.

"So, you really do hate me?" He asked, softly. His voice was kind of quivering and he looked kind of sad.

"Just get out," She said, once again. He turned and left the room, closing the door. She let out a frustrated sigh, and laid down on the bed, stomach first. She buried her head under the pillow. She didn't hate Draco like she should have. She wanted to hate him, but she couldn't. She hated his Dark Lord and she hated his family for making him that way. She hated them all, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't hate dear Draco. She sobbed and cried for a little while, but realized she couldn't do it anymore. Not while she was in this house. She stopped crying and turned over. She looked up at the ceiling and stared for the longest time. It seemed that everything was surreal and nothing mattered anymore. _Dumbledore's dead…_ There would be no more Hogwarts. This was a victory for the evil side, but she couldn't show that she cared. She had to be just like them…

She didn't know how much longer later, but she heard a knock on her door. She sat up as the door handle turned. Narcissa Malfoy stood at the doorway.

"Lucius requests that I help you get ready for dinner," Narcissa said. "In a Malfoy house, we dress nicely for dinner."

"Even in such…circumstances?" Lindsay asked.

"The ministry will not find us," Narcissa assured. "They don't know this place exists. It's unplottable and only findable to those who already know where it is. Now, Lucius asked me to provide you with clothes."

Lindsay gave a nod and got up. She followed Narcissa out of the room. They walked down the hallway, and stopped at one of the doors. Narcissa opened it to reveal one of the largest closets Lindsay had ever seen. They entered the room. A majority of the clothes were green and black. There was a good amount of red as well. Narcissa went over and picked out a black dress. She handed it to Lindsay, who reluctantly changed into it. She hated the dress, mostly because it was in this house, which she also hated. She hated all the Malfoys. She hated everything at the moment.

"It looks lovely, dear," Narcissa assured, as Lindsay stared in the mirror. She then started to make conversation, which Lindsay absolutely did not want to participate in, but ultimately, had no choice. "You're one of Draco's friends. Tell me, does he seem a little off to you? He's lucky, you know. The Dark Lord could have killed him. He didn't do his job."

"Well, the Dark Lord is very forgiving. I'm sure Draco is fine. He must be thinking about last night, that's all. He wish he could have done Dumbledore in, but he's learned for next time."

"Oh, I hope so. I think Draco's too young for this. Sixteen, well just turned seventeen… But, the Dark Lord has found use for my son. I wish I could be more proud, but I don't want to have to worry about his life as well as my husband."

Lindsay tried not to roll her eyes or even puke. She hated Narcissa's high-pitched voice and she hated pretending that she actually cared. "Don't worry as much, Mrs. Malfoy. You have your husband and your son, alive and well."

Narcissa seemed surprised that this girl was actually kind of comforting.

"You'll make a good wife, someday. I can tell," Narcissa said. Lindsay would have frowned, but she was looking into a mirror and that woman would see. "Now, come on along. Lucius expects us for dinner."

Lindsay followed Narcissa out of the room. They walked down the hallway and down the stairs. After walking through about a million more rooms, they reached the dining room. Lucius and Bellatrix were seated and in a conversation. Draco was resting his head on his propped up hand. He was obviously bored. Narcissa took a seat next to Bellatrix and Lindsay sat in the seat next to Draco, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Ah, we can start now," Lucius said. Lindsay half-expected some random 'let's thank the dark lord for food', but that didn't happen. A few moments later, house elves appeared with food and put it on the table. The three adults started to eat. Draco reluctantly got food and started to poke at it with his fork. Lindsay didn't want to eat, but she grabbed her fork, and forced the food into her mouth. She forced herself to chew it and then swallow it. _'Appearances…appearances… must stay alive…'_

"So, Draco, are you friends with Miss Lindsay Caldwell?" Bellatrix asked. Draco looked over at her. He finally came out of his daze.

"Oh, yeah. We're good friends," He said, quietly. "Don't think I've ever seen someone who's hate for mudbloods matches ours."

"That's quite refreshing," Bellatrix said. "There are very few purebloods left… It's quite sad to see how many of them decide to actually associate with muggles."

She started to go on forever about that and Lucius and Narcissa would sometimes interject comments of agreement and addition. Lindsay tuned out a long time ago, and forced herself to eat. She looked over at Draco, who was staring at his food, and poking it with his fork.

"Aren't you hungry?" Lindsay whispered to him. He looked over at her, surprised that she was actually talking to him. He shook his head.

"No."

Lindsay shrugged, although she had no appetite herself. She continued to force food into her body. Draco didn't even bother. As the adults engaged in conversation, he took out his wand, whispered a spell, and all the food disappeared.

"Well, I'm done," Draco said, loudly. The three turned and looked at him. "I'm going to go to bed early. I've had an exhausting day and no sleep…"

"Very well, honey," Narcissa said. Lindsay tried to hide her look of disbelief. How could he leave her alone with these three? They watched him leave.

"He's acting so different," Narcissa said, after he was gone. "I'm worried about him."

"Oh, nothing to be worried about, Cissy. We're all like that at first. He's just not used to everything yet. He's just sad that he wasn't able to serve the Dark Lord fully," Bellatrix said. Lindsay held back a laugh. She doubted that was anything close to what he was actually thinking or feeling.

"Oh, I'm not sure…"

"Draco's a strong boy. He's fine," Lucius said, even though he had doubts about the abilities of his son.

"Will you talk to him?" Narcissa suddenly asked Lindsay. She looked at them. "I'm sure he'll listen to you. You're his friend."

"Of course, Mrs. Malfoy. I'll talk to Draco," Lindsay said with fake emphasize. She accepted the answer and went back talking to her husband and sister. Lindsay was able to use the same spell as Draco, and excused herself from the table. She wasn't sure if she was going to talk to Draco or not. She still had her feelings of anger at him, but at the same time, she wanted to talk to him. She walked up to the hallway of rooms. She walked past his parents' room, and then stopped at his. She stared at the door. _'Should I talk to him now…?'_ She wondered as she stared at the door. She raised her fist and started to knock on the door. She waited. A few moments later, Draco opened the door. He stared, slightly surprised to see her.

"What do you want?" He asked, bitterly. She stared, and tried hard not to lose her temper.

"Your mother asked me to talk to you," Lindsay said, calmly.

"Alright, I'll tell her with had a nice conversation," Draco said. He motioned to close the door again. Lindsay stuck her hand out, and held it open.

"You're lucky. The rest of them don't really notice how you're feeling. Your mother does and it'll only be a matter of time before the rest of them figure out what's bothering you."

"Good for them," Draco muttered.

"Now _is not_ the time to be a rebellious teen," Lindsay said, sharply and suddenly. "Not when you're a Death Eater and working for your Dark Lord. I know you're dealing with certain feelings, but you can't go around brooding and being conflicted. You have to put on an act. Don't give them the chance to suspect you."

Draco stared at Lindsay for a while.

"And what do _you_ care about me?" Draco asked, coldly. "You hate me, right?"

She stared at him, trying to keep calm. She couldn't lose her temper. It didn't work. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at him.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that," She snapped. "I don't want any of your crap. Oh no, you didn't kill Dumbledore. Oh no, you failed. You're still alive. Shut up and get on with life. I hate that—but I don't hate—" She started to think about it all. Dumbledore was dead… Draco was supposed to do it. Did it have to be like this? Could it have been different? Maybe if she was there for him. She never really was there, was she? Since the beginning, she made it clear that they were on different sides. And even though she cared so much, she still made the distinctions for what sides they were on. If only Draco didn't have to confide with ghost. If only he had someone there for him… like she was supposed to be. If she had tried harder, maybe, she could have helped him. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. He might have accepted Dumbledore's offer, knowing there was something there for him. She could have helped him. It didn't have to be this way…

Before she could stop herself, she was suddenly crying again. Everything had turned so dark so fast. She couldn't handle living in darkness, but Draco had been doing it for so long. She was the only thing that made him smile, but she ruined it and ruined him. Draco stared, taken aback. He suddenly took her hand and pulled her into the room. He closed the door with his wand, and sat her down on the bed. He sat down next to her, unable to look directly at her. She remembered how he could not handle her when she cried. He put his hand on her shoulder, lightly, and unsurely. She put her head in her hands and cried more.

"You know, you're the only person who really understands me," Draco said, softly, as she cried. "As weird as it sounds, I look up to you. You stand up for your beliefs. You were always strong and not afraid of anything. I hate to see you like this because the person who I think is strong can be weak sometimes. I know that I have some blame in this... It's unbearable to have the person I can talk to here, but hating me. I knew you would hate me. I didn't think I'd ever see you again, but you're here, and that makes everything so much harder."

Lindsay wiped her eyes and looked over at Draco. "Draco, look at me. I'm a mess. I hate myself right now. I blew off all of my beliefs in order to stay alive. I've lied over and over again to these people. I hate them, but I hate myself even more. I didn't stand up for what I believe in. I gave into my fear. I didn't want to die…" She stopped and looked away from Draco. "I hate myself because I can't hate you. I want to… but I can't. I shouldn't be alive, but I am. I need to make my existence worthwhile. I need to do something while I'm here… or I need to leave."

She looked back at him.

"I'll help you, of course," He said, quietly.

"No," She said, sharply. "You can't. I don't want you risking your life to help me."

"If that's how I want to risk my life, that's what I'm going to do."

"No, it's not. You're not dying over something stupid like an escape mission," Lindsay argued. Draco opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. He didn't agree with her, but there was no use arguing with her.

"Well, Apparition is out. You either must have a Dark Mark or have Malfoy blood…"

"Any other ways?"

"You'll have to get out of the boundaries of this property, and my father owns _a lot_ of this land. He'll never let you go out. He wants to keep you in…"

"I wish I knew why…" Lindsay said, quietly. He looked at her.

"Well, you have to be careful around him, okay? He's a dangerous man. He has something in mind. He's going to want you to do something eventually or he would have killed you already," Draco said. "So, just watch out."

"Yeah, okay," She said. She wiped her eyes once more and stood up. She walked towards the door and turned to look at him. "I'll see you later, I guess."

"Yeah," He said, quietly. She opened the door, left, and closed it. She walked back to the guest room, and stayed there for the rest of the night. Luckily, Lucius and Narcissa did not decide to pop in and visit. She didn't sleep of course. She changed back into other clothes from that stupid dress, and laid down on the bed. She couldn't sleep. She was mostly afraid that Lucius would come and kill her while she was sleeping, although that was unlikely. He seemed to like dramatic things. Thinking was what Lindsay did the whole night. There was a lot to think about. She decided what she was going to do. She felt a lot of guilt for being alive… There were a lot of people out there who would have traded in their lives to stand up to what they believed in. She didn't, and so she wasn't going to waste her life. She was living with Death Eaters. She would act like she was one of them. She would respect them and gain their trust. She would learn all about them and the Dark Lord, and then she would reveal it all to their enemies. She might as well do something useful while she was in the enemy's home. The problem was Draco. It wouldn't be long before he figured out her intentions. She had to keep them hidden as long as she could. She couldn't risk him finding out. She didn't want him to tell them… He was on their side after all…


	19. Nighteen: Suspicions and Trust

A/N: The movie has just come out. I'm so excited and I'm seeing it tonight. Enjoy the chapter and thanks reviewers!

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter NINETEEN: Suspicions and Trust

The rest of the night was spent planning an escape. There had to be some way to escape. She would as soon as she could. There didn't seem to be a solution yet, and she would occupy herself until there was. Night ended quickly, and dawn soon came. Lindsay was tired, but not tired enough to sleep. She laid down and waited until someone came to 'wake' her. About two hours after the sun had risen, she heard the knock on her door. She looked over at the door as it opened. It was Draco.

"You're awake early," He observed. She sat up and looked at him. "My father requests your presence at breakfast."

"Oh, breakfast? Considering I'm a hostage of some sort, I get treated pretty well," She said. Draco shrugged.

"Like I said before…he has use for you."

"Is there a certain dress code for breakfast that I must abide to?" Lindsay asked, getting out of bed.

"No, but you should probably change," Draco said. "My mother has a ton of clothes you can wear."

"I'd rather not wear her clothes," Lindsay said, bitterly.

"We'll just transfigure them, then," He said. Lindsay walked towards the door. The two walked towards the room full of clothes.

"I wouldn't trust you to transfigure clothes…" Lindsay said.

"McGonagall thought I was a good student. You're better at it, so you can do it."

"Magic's not allowed over summer break, rememb—" She stopped mid-sentence and it turned quiet. It didn't matter now, did it? There was no more Hogwarts. She could use magic if she wanted to, then. It was kind of sad. She wondered if everyone had been sent home. Had anyone noticed that she was missing? Probably not. They were probably all too busy to notice her… It was kind of sad, but it was expected. She wondered if everyone was alright. Harry, Ron, and Hermione probably did some fighting. Were they okay?

"Draco, who else died?" She asked, suddenly, as they entered the room full of clothes. Draco froze and stared.

"I don't know. One of Dumbledore's people…" He said, quietly.

"Did—"

"Potter's okay. He was running after Severus and me. Snape told me to go on, but I looked back and he was fighting Potter. Potter's okay, though."

Lindsay nodded, and looked away from Draco. As long as Harry was okay, there was still some hope. She walked over and looked through some clothes. She grabbed some random things and transfigured them. She was lucky that she was kind of skilled at transfiguration. She now had a simple shirt and skirt combination. Draco left the room as she changed. When she finished, she left the room and looked at him. He leaned against the wall, waiting.

"Okay, I'm ready for breakfast," She said. He looked at her and nodded. The two walked in silence and headed towards the gigantic dining room. The house elves had already prepared and placed the food. Lucius and Narcissa were already seated. Draco and Lindsay joined them.

"Good morning, Draco," Narcissa said to her son. He looked at her.

"Morning, mother," He said. He didn't sound tired or depressed. He sounded like his normal self. Narcissa smiled at the sudden change in his tone of voice. She shot a warm look at Lindsay, who forced a smile.

"Go on, and eat," Lucius said to the two of them. The each got food and ate it. Draco was eating, once again, but it looked as if he were forcing food into him as Lindsay was doing. Breakfast was kind of quiet and not much happened. Draco finished his food, but waited until Lindsay was down forcing food down.

"Father," Draco said, afterwards. Lucius looked at his son. "I was thinking I should show Lindsay around the house. So, she knows where the bathroom is and where the kitchen is… Things like that."

"Good idea, Draco," He said. "But I would first like a private chat with her."

'Great a private chat. I won't be surprised if it includes my death…'

Lucius stood up and motioned for Lindsay to follow him. Her felt for her wand in her pocket, before following him. She followed Lucius out of the room and into the next room.

"Are you comfortable here?" He asked her. She looked directly at him.

"Very," She said. That was probably the biggest lie she had ever told. "I must thank you, Mr. Malfoy."

"It is no problem," Lucius said. "As you can tell, I have not decided to kill you yet. You seem to be friends with Draco, and he would not associate with someone…unacceptable. There's still a lot I'd like to know."

"Ask away, Mr. Malfoy," She said, although she really wasn't up to making up more lies.

"Why is it that Draco has not mentioned you before?"

"I don't have much importance in his life. The Dark Lord is the most important thing in his life and what is the thing he focuses the most on. Not a trivial thing, such as me."

Lindsay felt a bit unsettled. She didn't know if that was completely a lie… Lucius seemed satisfied with that answer. She then realized something. Lucius was looking for an excuse to kill her. All her answers had to be perfect… The strange thing was that it seemed that he didn't want to kill her. He wanted her to be alive. He spared her life twice so far and he continued to do so. Why? Like Draco said, he had some use for her. If only she knew what it was…

"Who raised you?"

"I was raised in a wizard orphanage…" She answered. It was best not to mention she was raised by two muggle-born wizards.

"What do you know about the Dark Arts?" He asked. This one was a tricky question. She knew about four spells, none of which she had ever preformed or ever wanted to.

"Not as much as I would like to know…" Lindsay replied, at last.

"Do you at least know the Unforgivable Curses?"

"Of course."

"Ever perform them?" Lucius asked. 'No, nor do I want to…' Yet, she had to lie more.

"On people, no. I've practiced on animals a few times. I wanted to have some experience for the day when I use them on actual people," She said, quickly.

"Your favorite one?"

She knew for a fact that his favorite one was the Cruciatus Curse. It would be wise to choose that one.

"The Cruciatus Curse, of course. What is better than watching them suffer before killing them?" She said. Lucius smiled, evilly, pleased with the answer.

"If the Dark Lord ever asked you to kill someone, would you do it?"

"Yes, of course. No questions asked, no hesitation."

"Even if it were someone you care about?" He asked.

"I doubt that would happen. There are very few that I care about in my life, but yes, even if it were someone I cared about."

Lucius stared, and then gave a nod of approval. She lied to him a lot that time, and he bought all of it. She hated being such a good liar.

"One more question, Miss Caldwell," Lucius said. Lindsay was glad that he stopped using the Richmond name. She didn't want him to use it in front of a Death Eater and end up dead. "Do you have your wand with you?"

Lindsay was hoping he wouldn't ever find out. She could lie, but he would eventually find out.

"Yes," She replied, honest for the first time ever, since talking to him.

"Good," Lucius said, and it ended there. They went back into the dining room, were Draco was still waiting.

"You may show her around, Draco," Lucius said. Draco nodded, and Lindsay followed him out of the dining room. They were silent until they were sure they were out of the earshot of the two Malfoys. They walked down a hallway.

"So," Draco said. "Did he say anything interesting?"

"Not really. I just made up a bunch of more lies…" Lindsay said.

"Oh," Draco said. He stopped, and pointed to one of the doors. "This is one of the many bathrooms in the house. There's one nearby our rooms. It's the very last door."

Lindsay gave a nod. They continued to walk.

"I told him that…" She paused for a second. She was interested in his response. "…the reason why you never mentioned me before is that compared to the Dark Lord, I'm quite trivial."

She watched him, and felt a warm feeling as he started chuckling. "If only he knew…"

"I also am interested in dark arts, but do not know much. I've practiced Unforgivable Curses on small animals, but not humans, and I would kill someone if the Dark Lord asked me to…"

"You don't know how weird it is to hear you saying all of this…" He said. "It's even weirder when you're saying it all seriously… It's kind of creepy, actually."

"I'm sure it is," She said. They continued to walk. There were some silences, and some small conversations. He continued to show her around. She was introduced to the other bathrooms, rooms that she was supposed to stay out of, the kitchen, and anything else of importance. They headed back to the area of their rooms.

"Draco," Lindsay said, once they had climbed the stairs. He stopped and looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon."

"Maybe not, but we'll get you out…er…you'll get out. Don't worry. It will happen…"

"I just wish it was soon. I don't think I can stand a week here. I'll probably die…"

---

A long week went by, and Lindsay was still alive and still at that house. She hated it more than anything. Everyday was the same as the day before. Lucius kept a close watch on her, so she couldn't even try any escape attempts. It was a strange atmosphere. Lucius treated her as a guest, although he knew that she wanted to leave. She constantly had to make up more lies about herself to gain acceptance. Everyday she wondered if this would be the day that she would die.

She really did not like the Malfoys. She hated their customs and their beliefs. Everything about them annoyed her, yet she had to pretend that she accepted them. Her relationship with Draco was quite interesting. It was awkward a lot of times. They talked, sometimes. They acted like they were friends when around the parents. They did not fight as they used to and they avoided all dark topics. They talked like they were friends, but mostly avoided each other. After hearing what happened that night, she wished that she didn't have to be around him. The only thing that kept her from turning on him was the fact that he wasn't able to kill Dumbledore.

She did nothing all day, everyday. She would eat three times a day, bathe, and spent most of the time in the guest bedroom, doing nothing. She knew that exploring could be bad, but she wanted to find out something. Lucius and Narcissa were careful not to talk around her. She would be able to get nothing out of Draco. Perhaps if she explored and went into the rooms she wasn't supposed to go into, she would be able to find out something.

It was probably an hour after lunch. She didn't know what Narcissa and Lucius did in their spare time, but they were constantly disapparating from the house, probably to do some Dark Lord stuff. Perhaps, they had left now. Lindsay decided that she was going to do some exploring. She left her guest bedroom and walked quietly down the hallway. Draco was probably in his room, brooding. She crept past it quietly, and walked down the stairs. She walked down one of the long hallways, leading to the other part of the house. Then, there were more hallways to be walking down from. She recognized a certain door. It was one of the rooms she was not supposed to go in for one reason or another. Draco said it resembled Borgin and Burkes. That was some dark arts store, and so the room probably had a lot of dark related items. She took out her wand, and opened the door. It was a messy room. There were tables with books on them, and tables with items on them. She walked into the room, carefully. She approached one of the tables with Dark items on them.

"Hmm, hand of glory… light only to the beholder. Fun." She continued to look around. "This looks like a death locket of some sort. "

She walked over to the table full of books. All the books were old, black, and dusty. Half of them were in Latin.

"Useful Dark Spells," Lindsay read. She picked up the book and put it aside. "I wonder what's so useful…"

She opened up the book and flipped through the pages. "A spell for making them blind…gesiht… A spell for making them deaf heorcnia Oh, very useful…" She continued to flip through pages, unimpressed. "This one looks disturbing. Flaying of the skin flean… Removal of the organs, painfully organa removere…" She stopped on a page that looked especially complicated. "Torture the victim. Bring them to a world of illusions and slowly torture them… Illusio. That looks creepy." She continued to flip through, until a certain page caught her eye. There was a single spell on it. There was no explanation or description. It was just the word. "Radere." She shrugged and put the book aside. She walked past the first two tables and looked at the third. The first item that caught her eye was a key. She picked up. It was black and gold with an R engraved into it. She shrugged and put it down. The next item was a necklace next to a piece of paper.

"One wish in exchange for one memory," She read aloud. "That's not so bad now, is it?"

She wondered… if she could wish herself out of here. It was only one memory…It wouldn't be that bad. She picked up the necklace and held it in her hand.

"I wouldn't put that on if I were you," A cold voice said from behind her. She turned around and with the necklace in her hand and her wand in the other. Lucius Malfoy stood at the doorway. She couldn't look panicked. She let out a sigh of relief to show that she wasn't alarmed to see him. He stepped forward. "It'll grant your wish fine, but it will take away your most precious memory. I'm sure you don't want that."

She smiled and put the necklace back on the table. She stuck her wand in her pocket.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked. She shrugged.

"Just looking around, I suppose," She replied. He walked into the room and looked around, as if he were looking for something.

"Find anything of interest?" He asked in that bone-chilling voice of his. She shook her head.

"Not really," She said, heading towards the door. Lucius looked around more, and followed her out. She hid her fear well. What if he suspected her or wanted to punish her?

"Now, Miss Caldwell, I can see that you were obviously bored, but I would advise you not to play around in that room."

"Okay," She said, simply. He dismissed her, and she wandered away. It was unsuccessful. That experience told her something she already knew. The Malfoy family is into dark arts. She didn't find any dark secrets. She would have to try another forbidden room, later. He probably figured that she didn't know any better, and she would use that to her advantage. She went back into the guest room to sit and do nothing.

The next day, she made sure that Lucius was not around when she was going to go exploring. She saw him disapparate out of the house and went to go look for another forbidden room. She remembered there was one somewhere near the kitchen area. She wandered through the house, looking for the particular room in one of the many hallways. At last, she found it. Well, it looked familiar anyway. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned it. It didn't open.

"Locked, perhaps?" She muttered to herself. She pointed her wand at it. "Alohamora." She tried opening the door, once more. The door opened. "That was easy." She proceeded to walk through.

"No!"

She turned around to see Draco. She let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't Lucius this time. She turned back around.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Draco said from behind her. She turned her head and looked at him.

"What? Will I die?" She asked, sarcastically.

"You'll set off an alarm, probably get attacked or cursed or something, and if you survive all of that, my father will kill you. So, yes, you will die. You need Malfoy blood to get into that room."

She turned around, frowning.

"So, what's the big secret?" Lindsay asked, crossing her arms. Draco shrugged. "You can go in there. Go find out."

"I'm not sure my father would appreciate that. And even if I did find out, I wouldn't be able to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Once again, the word 'death' may resurface…" Draco said. "My father told me about your little adventure yesterday. Looking for anything in particular?"

"You're sounding so much like your father," She said, coolly. "It might make it easier to hate you. Don't want that, do you?"

Draco frowned. "Listen. You shouldn't do that—wandering around. It'll make my father suspicious."

"Fine, then," Lindsay said, starting to walk away. She looked back at Draco. "Oh, and you can tell daddy that I wasn't looking for anything particular. I was just wandering around."

She continued to walk away. Lucius suspected her of looking for something particular in that room. So there was something that was obviously important in that room, as in the room that you needed Malfoy blood to enter. Perhaps, she would be able to get into one of those rooms, again, but not now. She had to gain Lucius's full trust before attempting anything again.

For the rest of the week, Lindsay met a horde of Death Eaters. She met D.E. Nott, D.E. Jugson, D.E. Macnair, and D.E. Avery. She hated them all the same way she hated Lucius Malfoy. She complemented them all, and then behind their backs to Lucius, she would tell him that they had this certain flaw and wished that she could be more like him. Lucius was always happy to hear things like that. On second thought, she hated Lucius Malfoy more than all of them.


	20. Twenty: The Gathering at the Malfoys

A/n: I have a winter cold. :'( But the Goblet of Fire… pretty good. Barely any Tom, but I survived. There were a bunch of other hot guys to look at. Sorry about the long wait.

Thanks: phabandphat, Kurama'sfoxykitsune, T. Riddle

**Hate's Just a Word**

Chapter TWENTY: The Gathering at the Malfoys

It was Saturday morning with Lucius told Lindsay some terrible news. It was breakfast.

"Tonight, we're having a nice little party… gathering here," Lucius announced. Draco and Lindsay stopped eating and looked at him. Draco looked unhappy. He's experienced 'gatherings' before.

"Oh, what for? Did you guys finally kill Potter?" She asked, knowing for a fact that they hadn't. She was mocking them, but of course, it went past Lucius.

"No. It's a gathering between the families of fellow Death Eaters," Lucius explained. Lindsay pretended to be interested. "You'll be attending."

She stared. _'No, anything but this. I don't want to associated with Death Eaters and their wives and kids.'_ "Oh, okay…"

_'Oh, I'm ruined! I'll be killed. Snape's going to be there, no doubt. I can't fool Snape. He's a legilimens or something. I don't know Occlumency. Oh, and kids. A few of them will recognize me from school and reveal who I really am and I'll be killed…'_

"Who's coming?" Draco asked. Lucius started to list off names. Snape was not included. There was hope yet. "No Severus?"

"He is quite busy with his mission for the Dark Lord. He can not attend such occasions like this…" He explained. Lindsay had the urge to ask if Voldemort was coming, but decided against it. He would probably not appreciate such comments about the Dark Lord. He looked back at Lindsay. "Anyway, you must wear appropriate dress. Narcissa will help you later with that. You'll enjoy it."

"I'm sure," she said, trying not to put too much emphasize on the sarcasm. Draco noticed it though, and suppressed a laugh. Lindsay wasn't looking forward to it at all. She left breakfast early, but was followed by Draco.

"Well, Snape's not coming, so we're lucky there," Draco said, as he walked alongside her. "I can take care of Crabbe and Goyle, if they even come. I can probably convince Theodore Nott that you're evil or something."

"Nah, I cursed him once."

"Okay, then I'll handle him also. There's not many others, I don't think. Those are the only ones in our year. The other's won't know you, right?"

"If they aren't in my year, then probably not," She replied. For once, she was glad to be unnoticed by all. No one outside their year would know who she was. She never did anything exciting, and when she did, the only people who noticed were fellow six years. She stopped and looked at Draco. "How exactly do you plan on handling them?"

Draco didn't reply immediately. "I'll figure out something…"

She figured that 'something' wouldn't be very good, but Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott were not very good people. She let it slide and did not protest. The two separated and she retreated back to the guest room of doom. She had spent two weeks in this house and she had found nothing out. Well, nothing of use anyway. Lucius probably didn't trust her enough to say anything in front of her, yet. She would make sure that would change.

The other problem with staying in this house was Draco. She saw him everyday and talked to him everyday. Lindsay found herself getting attached to Draco, once more. She didn't want to. She was supposed to hate him. He was going to kill Dumbledore. But he didn't. Still, he was the son of a Death Eater. And you're the daughter of a Death Eater. They shouldn't be together. It was just wrong. And when does love ever make sense? She should have hated him, but she never did. In fact, she was growing more fond of him. Everything she felt for him was coming back faster than she could ever believe. Sometimes, she would find herself staring at him, wanting to touch him, wanting to be with him. She wasn't able to, though, not in this house. Lucius wouldn't want his son to be with the daughter of the Richmonds… Not yet, anyway. She doubted that she could have a relationship with Draco at this point in time.

She skipped out on lunch, and instead 'took a nap.' It was just her excuse. She kept herself in the guest room, and thought to herself. She started to make up stories in advance to fool all of the Death Eaters and their families. Mostly about gallivanting around Hogwarts, bothering 'mudbloods', and when and if Lucius told them that she was a Richmond. 'Oh, I hate my family. I'm glad those blood traitors are dead. I've even changed my name…' Draco was going to take care of the potential problems. For the most part, the Death Eaters she had met so far liked her. She didn't like the fact that Death Eaters found her acceptable. It's mostly because she sounds exactly like Lucius. Sounding like him was the last thing she wanted to do.

The 'party' thing started at nine o' clock. Around quarter to eight, Narcissa came around.

"Lucius requests that I help to get you ready," Narcissa explained. "You've got to bathe first."

Sighing, Lindsay went to the bathroom, and took a shower. Just to be annoying, she took an extra long shower. Afterwards, Narcissa had fun fixing up her long, brown hair. She never really put it up or did anything fancy to it. Narcissa put it up in a nice bun, with curls. She didn't admit that she liked it, but it wasn't so bad. Narcissa applied make-up, and then took her into the room full of clothes. She started to pick out a million dresses and made Lindsay try on all of them. Narcissa finally settled on a red one. It was a long, gown like, ruby-red dress that was very flattering in the chest area. Lindsay stared at the mirror.

"Er, I'm not sure this is the right dress. I think it's a little too…er…revealing," Lindsay said, trying to force the dress to cover up the chest area a little better.

"Oh, nonsense. You should show your legs more often," Narcissa said. Lindsay sighed. Why did Narcissa have to be pretty dumb?

"Er, that's not what I meant…" Lindsay said, but Narcissa annoyed her. She went to go get herself ready. Lindsay went and hid out in her room until the stupid thing started. She would wait until Narcissa retrieved her again and forced her to go down. She felt so awkward. There was no way she was going to be around people looking the way that she did. It was a little past nine when she heard the knock on her door. Narcissa appeared behind it.

"My husband requests your presence at the party. He wants to introduce you to some people."

She looked at herself in the mirror, feeling very uncomfortable, and followed Narcissa out of the room. She walked down the stairs with some difficulty. She wasn't used to heels, but got used to them fast. The living room, dining room area was filled with people. All the Death Eaters and the Death Eaters' wives and kids. Everyone was talking and drinking. There was wizarding classical music playing in the background. She hated it so far. Narcissa led her to Lucius Malfoy who was talking with a random Death Eater.

"Ah, Rodolphus," Lucius said. He was talking to a tall man, and next to him was Bellatrix Lestrange. She figured that it was her husband. "This is Lindsay Caldwell."

She forced a fake smile and shook his outstretched hand.

"Ah, Bella and Lucius have mentioned you're a refreshing pureblood. There's not much left out us… you know, the ones who wouldn't dare associated with muggles or muggle-borns."

"Of course, Mr. Lestrange," Lindsay said. "It's simply a disgrace that so many purebloods these days are traitors and will lower themselves and actually… think of muggles and muggle-borns as equals."

Rodolphus Lestrange looked pleased, as did Lucius. Bellatrix smiled.

"What did I tell you?" Bellatrix said to her husband. Rodolphus nodded.

"You found a pure one, Lucius," He said. Lucius nodded. She was just some project of his. He would show her off as if he made her that way. She thought up all these lies by herself. Lucius had no part in that. She was introduced into many more Death Eaters. She ran into the Nott family, and her heart rate began to rise. Theodore Nott would surely expose her. He didn't. Instead, he stared at her, in a very uncomfortable way. Everyone offered her drinks, and she accepted all the drinks from everyone. Everyone let her drink wine and no one seemed to care that she was young. Lucius led her to Macnair, who she already had met before.

"Oh, Mr. Macnair, it's good to see you again," She greeted with fake enthusiasm.

"Ah, yes, Miss Caldwell," He said. A smirk appeared on his face. "Oh, shall I say Miss Richmond?"

She held back from glaring at Lucius. 'Just let the whole horde of Death Eaters know, why don't you…?' If only she could say that aloud, but she didn't want to risk it.

"It's quite amazing, Lucius," Macnair went on. "Wouldn't she want revenge? That's what I would have thought."

Lindsay shook her head. "Well, you know, Mr. Macnair, an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind."

Macnair commented on how clever she was and Lucius accepted it as if he they were for him. 'I have Ghandi to thank for that one, not you, Lucius…'

After meeting all the Death Eaters, she was able to escape from Lucius. She was swaying now and stumbling, much like a drunk person. In fact, she did drink a lot of wine. It was Lucius's stupid wine.

She stumbled into another room to get away from everyone and to be alone. Upon entering, she found that she was not alone. Draco Malfoy was sitting on a table, doing nothing. He looked over at her and stared. After a few moments of staring, he recognized her.

"Lindsay?" He asked, his jaw dropped. "Is that you?"

"Seems so," She said, quietly.

"You look…great."

She looked at Draco. He wasn't staring down at Nott was. He was actually looking at her face, and making eye contact. Draco did not look so bad himself. He had to clean himself up for the occasion, and looked very nice. She was constantly reminded of how attractive he was, but even more so now.

"You, too," She said, honestly. She went over, and sat down on the table with him. "I'm not too sure I like this look. It's quite uncomfortable, and Theodore Nott keeps finding excuses to get me a drink and stare down my dress. But he hasn't said anything about me. You really did a number on him and the other two. What did you do?"

"I've got my ways," Draco said, looking much more lively. "So, you having fun?"

"Oh, about as much fun as I would have with blast-ended skrewt things," Lindsay said.

"Yeah, same here," Draco said. They were silent once more. Lindsay inched closer to Draco.

"So, we're quite alone," Lindsay said to him, her voice different than usual.

"Yeah, we are," He said. He looked over at her. "So wha--!"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. He was forced upon the table by Lindsay, and she forced herself upon him, forcing a kiss on him. He was taken by surprise. He leaned back and pushed her off. She hovered over him and stared down at him. He felt the familiar taste of wine in his mouth, although he didn't drink any. He looked at Lindsay.

"Oh, not again. Drunk? How many glasses?" Draco asked, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable with Lindsay positioned over him.

"The same amount of Death Eaters here, I suppose," She said, slurring her words.

"Oh, god. That's a lot. Did you accept a drink from everyone? You're not supposed to do that. Even you would be smart enough to realize that," Draco said, looking up at her. She didn't seem to be paying attention. A moment later, Draco heard sounds of someone entering the room. He carefully pushed Lindsay aside to see clearly, and standing at the doorway was his father. Of course, Lindsay seemed to be oblivious of everything.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Draco," Lucius said, before Draco could explain. "I understand. It's quite natural for a boy such as yourself to be feeling that way. You may want to take her up to your room though."

"Then you don't care?" Draco asked, carefully. He obviously meant the whole thing about her past.

"No. I think we can trust her. She's been loyal and she's proven that she's a true pureblood," Lucius said. He then walked out of the room. A second after he left, Lindsay removed herself from Draco, and let out a sigh of relief.

"That was uncomfortable," She said, her voice normal again. She was poised once more and no longer was slurring her words. Draco stared in disbelief.

"You're not drunk?" He asked. She stood up, and straightened up her dress.

"No, I'm not. Like you said, even I would be smart enough to not drink all those drinks… I only had one," She said. Draco stared.

"Why were you pretending to be drunk?"

"I wanted to know something. Something he wouldn't really say if I were sober. I've heard it," She explained. "So, I guess we better go up to your room then, to keep up the charade."

Draco nodded, still staring in disbelief. The two were excused from the party, and headed to his room.

"So, coming on to me…" He said, quietly as he opened the door to his room. "That was an act?"

She paused before answering. "Yeah."

The two entered his large bedroom. Everything in it was huge. The bed was enormous, and everything looked as if it cost a million galleons. She went and sat down in one of the large, leather seat chairs he had in the room. Draco went and sat down on the edge of his bed. They sat in silence, and looked at each other.

"So…" Draco said. The silence was kind of awkward, and there really wasn't anything to talk about. "This is awkward."

"Considering everything, that's a big yes."

"I'm sorry about my father. He practically told me to take advantage of you. He's…well…you know him well enough by now," Draco said.

"Yeah. I really can't stand him, but you already know that. I can't imagine what it's like for you, but we won't talk about it. I'm not in the mood to argue," She said. "I know that you're different than him, and you wouldn't have taken advantage of me."

Draco smiled, a little. Lindsay stood up, and went to sit next to Draco.

"You've been too good to me, Draco," She said. "I really do owe a lot to you. You could have said one word against me, but you went along with the lies. Even when we were fighting, you still never sold me out."

"Of course not," He said. "The last thing I want you to do is die."

She smiled, and put her hand on his shoulder, lightly. He looked at her. The two stared at each other for a few moments. Before Lindsay could stop herself, she was suddenly kissing Draco Malfoy. And to her surprise, he didn't pull away, but started to kiss her back. She put her arms around him and moved him onto the bed. They kissed passionately and full of emotion. It seemed that both of them had been wanting to do this for the longest time. Lindsay's hair fell out, and the curls bounced from her head. The passion became more fierce. It was much like the first time the two had ever snogged. They were waiting for a moment like this for a long time. It had finally come. They kissed for what seemed like forever. The only sounds heard was not the party downstairs, but the sounds of their heavy breathing.

After a long time, Draco pulled away, not only for air, but because his lip hurt. She started to breathe again.

"Oh, your lip is bleeding," She said, turning red. Draco didn't care.

"Wow," He said, in between pants. "I didn't know you had that in you."

He put his hand to his lips and wiped off the blood. He reached into his pocket, and healed the cut with his wand. He put his wand away.

"Well, that was making up for three and a half months, Draco," She said, a smile appearing on her face. Draco smiled back.

"I've missed it. I've missed you. I—" He didn't even bother to finish his sentence. He went in for another a kiss. They started with their snogging all over again. It took a lot of energy out of both of them, and after a while, they both became tired out. Lindsay moved from over him, and laid beside him.

"I wonder if Lucius expects this…" Lindsay said.

"This and more, and he won't expect you to remember it in the morning, of course," Draco said. Lindsay smiled. For the first time in three and a half months, she was actually happy.


End file.
